ME1: How to Stop Rogue Spectres, and Other Muesings
by axismundix
Summary: Shooting, fighting, torture, revenge, krogan, Spectres, chases, escapes, true love, a Mako! Writing out my version of Mass effect 1. Focusing on more character points of view and personality, with some action, to keep it interesting. Romance aimed to Tali/Shepard in ME 2
1. CH1 Prologue

"There is Ryder. He is N7, a scientist and was with Grissom through the first Relay."

"No. He has been blackballed after the AI issue."

"Right. Then, what about one of the Shepards? They were both spacers, lived aboard starships half their lives."

* * *

CE 2154, April 11th, SSV Einstein, Medical Bay

"PUSH, Hannah!"

Lieutenant Hannah Shepard, seasoned Naval Officer, Navy brat, proud member of the Systems Alliance Military, snapped. "I AM FUCKING PUSHING, YOU FUCKER!"

The medical officer in charge, Dr. Janelle Sanderson was not impressed. "Yes, dear. But push better."

"When I get this baby out I am going to fucking murder you."

"Yes, well. You'll have to get the baby out first, then, won't you?"

Gritting her teeth Hannah bared down one more time. It was interesting how one's mind worked at times. In that moment, during that last push, all she could think about was the sweat soaked blonde hair caught in her it was done. She collapsed back onto the table, her breathing ragged. Exhausted. She was sure she would never move she heard the cry. That beautiful first cry.

"It's a boy Hannah," Dr. Sanderson told her. Hannah, could not remove the weary smile from her face as she watched the medical team clean the child off, but frowned in confusion when she realized they were not passing the baby to her.

"What is it?" she said. Or that was what she intended to say. What she actually got out was, "What is… THE HOLY FUCK!" As her stomach cramped again, urging her to push.

"Ah, yes." the Doctor said. "It looks like you have twins Hannah. Now. PUSH!"

* * *

"Yes, until the boy started to develop biotics."

* * *

CE 2166, Arcturus Station

Lieutenant Commander Hannah Shepard was tired. Not just regular, stayed up too late reading tired, but bone tired. The kind of tired that sank deep into you. The kind of tired that made you question why you ever even woke up. She was mother of twins tired, but she had work to do.

The Quarian Flotilla had sent a diplomatic shuttle to meet with a human delegation regarding the Fleet's permissions to pass through Human controlled , Hannah thought it didn't look good. The human Systems Alliance had sent Donnel Udina. Hannah always thought he was a weasly little man, who barely kept his distrust of nonhumans under , it wasn't her problem, however. Right now she stood with the Quarian equivalent to her logistics position. Hannah admired the swirling patterns in the woman's body wrapping shawl. Or _realk_ as she believed the Quarian had called it when Hannah had asked.

What had surprised Hannah the most was that the Quarians brought their children with them. It was heartwarming to watch her children play with alien children without hesitation. If anything, the only thing they seemed confused about was what to do with three young Quarians in rubber like environmental bubbles. Eventually, they just followed the adults to the cargo deck where the Quarian supplies were being gathered. It provided open spaces for the bubbled children to move freely while they played.

Her own children, both twelve this year, were creative with the younger aliens, teaching them the human version of tag. John, her son, had a distinct advantage, being tall for his age. His crystal blue eyes watched out for the smaller children as he pushed back his shock of blonde hair he laughed brightly, genuinely. Her daughter, Jane, had eyes as brilliant as her brother's, but had received her mother's deep red hair. Hannah frowned as she watched her daughter. The girl had picked up a control pad and was tapping at it.

The loud clank of machinery over head snapped Hannah's gaze upward as one of the heavy steel containers shifted in its ceiling mounted lift claws. Her eyes widened in horror as she realized it was positioned over the children when the lift released, dropping it's multi ton payload.

Hannah, and Meru'Zorah, mother of one of the Quarian children, barely had time to extend their arms as if willing the container to stop in the air when it DID stop. John's hand was wreathed in the bright blue aura of a biotic field as he stood, his other arm wrapped, protectively, over one of the Quarian bubbles. Its swirling energy surged up, punching into the container, smashing it aside, the container's side caving as if crushed by a giant fist. It landed clear of the children, bursting, and sending much of its payload of foodstuffs across the deck.

In shock, part of Hannah's brain registered that the bubble John was protecting so fiercely was the daughter of Meru's. Tali, she was believed the girl was named. Her mind snapped back to reality as she saw the blood flowing freely from John's nose as he stumbled away from the bubble, dropping to his knees.

"JAY JAY!" Jane cried, running to her brother.

* * *

"They were both living with their stepfather and half sister on Mindior when it was attacked. They both are keenly aware of what it means to live in the colonies."

"Does an Asari count as a stepfather?"

"Don't start that. They both know and respect the cultures of many alien civilizations. That can only help them."

* * *

CE 2170, Alliance Colony World, Mindoir

"JAY JAY!" Jane cried, running to her brother. She dodged the burning pieces of the colony's prefab buildings. Jane didn't look at the bodies of her fellow colonists. She did not look at Mrs. Hunny, her math teacher. She did not look at Mr. Gage, the colony's general handyman. She did not look at Mr. and Mrs. Havier, their elderly bodies still holding hands, wrapped protectively around thier grand daughter's small shape. Jane couldn't see them. If she did, she would not be able to run. She would only be able to fall to her knees and cry.

John Shepard slowly brought himself to his feet, wiping the blood running from his nose. He pushed the body of the Batarian pirate away, its four eyes staring up, glassy in death. "I'm fine," he said nodding to his sister as she stopped short of him.

"You are not 'fine'!" she yelled at him, her voice was coarse from the smoke. "You have been pushing yourself! You know what Heststallia said!"

Glaring at her, John wiped more of the blood from his nose as he shook his head. "I don't exactly have much choice here Janey," John said, tersely, as he gestured to the burning town center around them. "We need to get home. I was just hot wiring this hover bike when the Batarian jumped me. Climb on, you drive better than me."

John looked at the hover bike that was owned by Lester Japers. Lester was a jerk. He was always yelling at everyone and looking down on them, but he didn't deserve the shot in the head he had received, giving the Gardener children a chance to hide. She shook the thought from her mind. "Yeah, okay…" She climbed onto the bike, turning on the systems. She was impressed with the simple wiring job John had done, under fire, no less.

A short drive that seemed to take hours brought the twins to their home. The farm was only a two hour walk from town, but it had always felt so far. Now it was not far enough. The Slavers were here as well.

Seeing her home on fire, the farm hands dead after the implantation of slave chips in their skulls, poured ice water into Jane's spine. Turning toward the door, she accelerated dangerously. Jane felt John's arms tighten around her waist, but he said nothing, trusting her. A feral grin spread across her face as she twisted the bike hard to one side, angling the mass effect fields that lifted and propelled the bike, up and into the Batarians attempting to open the door to the main house.

The bike was not an impressive model. However, Lester had spent a lot of time, and credits, tinkering and modifying it. The work showed itself as the mass effect fields hit. They punched straight through the Batarian's kinetic shields ripping their armor like it was tissue paper and scattering their pulped flesh across the front porch of the house.

John was the first off, leaping to the front door, pounding on it. "Hestallia!" he called out. "It's Janey and me! The Batarians are gone!" He waited a moment before pounding again. "Hestallia!"

The door clicked and slid open and the first thing the twins saw was the barrel of a shotgun. "Uh, Hestallia?" Jane ventured, stepping behind John. Which he noticed. Of course, she would stand behind him when there was a gun.

Hestallia, seeing the lack of slavers, slowly lowered the old Eviscerator model shotgun. The twins noticed the scratches and burns that bled blue blood over her bright blue skin. Though, what really surprised them was the combat armor their stepfather wore, It was goldenrod color with the black imprint of a sinking sun. It was covered in scratches, dings and patches. Clearly well used over a human lifetime worth of action.

Seeing the twin's eyes Hestallia barked a laugh. "I always told you I was a mercenary for a long time before meeting your mother."

"Uh...Yeah," John said, noting the rift in the left side of her torso, over her ribs that slowly, but steadily leaked blood. "Always thought you made the stories up. Seemed a little extreme at the time."

"Ha! Yeah well, I may have embellished a bit, but only for effect," Hestallia chuckled, and waved the twins inside with her gun. "Kelly is safe."

John and Jane stepped inside seeing the top of the head and wide frightened eyes peeking over the top of the couch. "Johnny...Janey?" the little voice ventured. As the child confirmed her siblings she lept over the couch and ran to them, wrapping her arms around their legs, sobbing.

Kneeling, John put a hand on his sister's head crest. He smiled at her, and traced some of the red pattern lines on the girl's face and head, eliciting a giggle. "It's okay Kel-ster. We're here, and we won't let anybody hurt you. Dad and us are unstoppable!"

The girl looked at John, a frown creased her face. "You're hurt, like daddy," she said as she reached up to try to wipe John's nose with the sleeve of her pajamas shirt. It was covered in little cartoon Krogan, from Kelly's favorite Extranet show, BattleMaster Gorge.

"What? You got hit?" Hestallia turned John around, concern on her face, as she looked him over. She shook her head at the boy as she saw the smeared blood on his face. "You have been overdoing your biotics again." It was an statement, not a question.

"Yes, sir," John shifted uncomfortably, but didn't look away from Hestalia's eyes. She saw the fire she had seen in Hannah's when they met. "I didn't have a whole lot of choice this time."

Chuckling, Hestallia dropped a hand on her stepson's shoulder. "Don't worry, I understand this time. Just remember your limits," she said, her voice turning serious. "You are no good for anybody if you pop your brain."

"Yes, sir," John said again. He was about to speak when the roar of powerful engines passed over head. "Alliance drop shuttles!" he cried.

Jane nodded. "Yeah, model 44s. I recognize the off tone of the dual field emitters."

Looking at both her stepchildren, Hestallia just shook her head. _These children are so bright it is scary at times. They will be going far,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"The boy is a marine, he was the only survivor of a Thresher Maw attack. That has to leave some serious mental scarring. There is potential of it being an issue."

* * *

CE 2177, Alliance Colony World, Akuze

 _They won't be going much farther_ , Lieutenant John thought, as he pulled Private Phillips up and over the boulder he, and what was left of his squad, had taken refuge. Carefully setting the soldier down, John pulled his emergency med kit from the pouch on the leg of his combat armor.

As John adjusted the tourniquet on the private's leg just above where it had been sheared off, he began to apply the Medi-Gel to the wound. Phillips was lost in shock, and merely whimpered as the aid was performed.

"L.t.," called one of the soldiers. Fear thick in her voice. "I don't think we are going to make it…."

His head snapping around, John leveled a look at her. "Specialist. I AM going to get you out of here. We are Not going to all die on this rock," he told her fiercely.

There was a small shudder and quiet moan from Phillips, causing John to turn back quickly, only to see the light leave the private's eyes. He had lost too much blood. With a deep sigh, John pulled the med gear off the dead trooper, as well as his tags. His pocket already had half a dozen tags. Those he could reach. Too many he couldn't.

"But, L.t.," the soldier started again. "It's FOUR thresher maws! I didn't know they came in twos, let alone fours."

John chuckled lightly at the Specialist's attempt at humor. It was testament to the her bravery and was one of the things that had attracted him to the small girl. He knew it was outside of regs and would get both of them in ridiculous amount of trouble. If they were found out. "Look Pina, I only attract the best."

Comm Specialist Pina pushed her auburn hair back under her helmet. "Look, Johnny," she started, he voice turning back serious. "I know we haven't been a thing long…"

"No," John cut her off.

"What?"

"Don't. Haven't you been watching the movies we went to? That is surefire way to get yourself killed," He smiled at her reassuringly. At least he hoped it was reassuring.

"Of course not. We generally spend them making out." She smiled at his exhausted look. "But seriously, I enjoyed the time we…" That was when she disappeared in front of him. The Maw's acid scorching even the stones she had sat on.

"All soldiers have some scars. He and his sister both were on leave on Elysium when the Blitz happened, they held off the Batarians long enough for help to arrive."

CE 2176, Alliance Colony World, Elysium

"You know. I feel like I enjoyed the time we had BEFORE all this bullshit," Jane Shepard said evenly as she ducked back down behind the thick oak table she and her brother had tipped on it's side to use as cover. She scowled at her assault rifle as she waited for the heatsink to vent and looked at her blonde twin. "I hate Batarians."

John laughed dryly. "Well, we only seem to meet the assholes," he replied as he stuck his pistol over the table and fire several rounds blindly. "I am sure there are some good ones. Someplace."

"Pfft, I'm beginning to doubt that." Jane shook her short cropped red hair. "I want to point out you never complimented me on my new haircut."

"Are you serious?" he stared at her incredulous. "NOW, you bring that up?"

"Allow a woman her vanities, Jay Jay. This is why you are single."

John scowled darkly and Jane knew she had hit on target. There was something in him. Something dark since Akuze. He buried it, she knew, but she knew her brother enough, felt it in him. It drove him to force his way into the N7 program. It drove him to be the youngest soldier to finish it. And the fastest qualification. She was afraid for him. But she didn't show it. Her face was a mask of neutrality.

With a breath John shook his head again, a small smirk coming on his rugged features. "Fine. _Oh, dear sister. Did you do something new with your crimson locks? They are simply fabulous_ " he told her, his voice a monotone that dripped pure sarcasm.

"Tell me I'm pretty."

"...You're pretty."

Reaching over, Jane patted her brother's knee. "See! You CAN learn!" she said cheerfully as she popped up and unloaded the entire heatsink of the rifle into the four Batarians that had begun to charge the twin's cover. Their shields flared briefly but quickly collapsed under the assault rifle's barrage. The armor underneath fared no better, neither did the flesh beneath that.

* * *

"The sister is a Navy officer, like their mother. She led a team on Torfan. She lost most of her squad, but eliminated the whole Batarian base."

"Maybe she did. But it is said, unofficially, mind you, that she also killed any that offered to surrender."

* * *

CE 2178 Batarian Extremist Base, Torfon

"You're pretty well finished here," Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard said coldly, looking down at the Batarian prisoners. Her helmet sat on the table she stood next to, as she ran a gauntleted hand over the dark red stubble on her head.

"How dare you hide behind our civilians, you human scum!" The Batarian on the comm yelled. Jane could see the spittle fleck from his lips as he yelled with impotent rage.

With a dramatic sigh, Jane pulled her pistol and placed it against the back of the head of one of the female prisoners. She saw the Batarian leader's eyes widen, his mouth open to speak. But before he could even make a sound she pulled the trigger, exploding half the female's brains over the comm screen. "Now, I have five left," her voice was as hard and cold as ice. "Two of them are children."

"Don't bother Commander. The Batarians don't care about their young," A soldier behind her said, spitting on the ground near the body. "I hear they eat them when they are too stressed." He was angry. Every soldier left was angry. All eight of them. They wanted revenge. For Elysium. But more so for their squad.

"You're thinking of rats, Sargent, " another soldier said, tapping commands into the console next to the Commander. "All set," her told her, stepping back.

"Alright! " the Leader shouted. Before his voice fell, barely audible. "Alright. We surrender. We are opening the door."

"Very good," Jane replied, as she removed her gauntlet. She wanted to feel this without anything in the way. It would be far more satisfying.

After a few moments the irised door imbedded into the floor, opened, the first Batarian began to come up the ladder, his hands up. He blinked rapidly at the harsh light of the Alliance trooper's flood lamps.

One of the troopers lashed out with a boot, knocking the Batarian back down into the bunker. The trooper beside him released a tank next to him, pouring the volatile fuel it contained, it flowed quickly and freely.

Jane could hear the cries of fear and surprise from the bunker. It brought a smile to her face. A cold dark smile. The smile of a person who may have lost a solid grip on her sanity. She nodded to her other troops and chuckled under her breath as they threw the five prisoners down the steps into the bunker. Including the two children.

"Shepard! Shepard, come in!" Jane recognized the voice. It was Major Kyle. He was her commander in this...operation. "Shepard, report in, have you cleaned out that last bunker? Bring in your prisoners. That should be where the Batarians put their civilians."

Jane stopped and thought a moment. She tapped her omni-tool. "I'm sorry Major," she replied, glancing up at her troops. She looked at them one by one. Each one of them nodded. "It looks like the population decided to commit suicide rather than be taken alive."

Jane's fingers hesitated for a moment over the panel next to her. Her mind flashed to the members of her squad she had lost. Menendez, and her obsession with Asari, she wouldn't stop bugging her for information once she had learned that Jane's stepfather was one. Alberton, the man, boy really, just came fresh from boot. How he bled out in her arms crying for his mother. Tennings, how his head disappeared in a red mist as he tackled her down, saving her from the sniper round.

Her finger came down on the haptic board's key. The jerry rigged engine from the downed shuttle roared to life. It's flame poured down into the bunker, the fuel catching. The bunker erupted in an explosion deep underground. A small, sick smile crossed Jane's lips.

"Shepard out."

* * *

"It hardly matters, I think. She just achieved her Captaincy, and a command of a light cruiser, the Perugia."

* * *

CE 2183 Systems Alliance Light Cruiser SSV Perugia

"On behalf of the Systems Alliance, and Systems Navy, I present you with these bars of your captaincy," Captain Hannah Shepard proudly pinned the silver eagle onto her daughter's uniform.

Jane Shepard fought hard to suppress the grin that threatened to burst over her face. Finally! She won! She beat Jay Jay to Captain, and command of a ship! Sure, it was nice that she was one of the youngest people to achieve the rank in the Systems Alliance, but it was far more important that she did it before her brother. Jay Jay had beaten her to Commander, but let's see him beat this!

"Captain Jane Shepard, in light of your service to the Human Systems Alliance, I do hereby grant you command of the SSV Perugia," the gravelly voice of Admiral Steven Hackett brought her mind back to the present.

"Thank you Admiral. I hope to be half the Captain my mother or you are," She said saluting.

"Already looking for my job?" the Admiral returned Jane's salute. "Buttering me up won't help you too much I am afraid."

"Well," Jane chuckled. "Worth a shot!"

Jane lost her battle and grinned widely, he back straight with pride when she heard the VI make the announcement.

"Captain Shepard has the deck."

* * *

"Alright, pulling her, can I believe we agree on John Shepard then?"

"I'll make the call."


	2. CH2 Eden Prime

John Shepard, SSV Normandy, Cargo Deck

"...And I move faster on my own," Nihlus replied back as he moved to the Normandy's open cargo door, dropping out of sight into the tree canopy below.

John leaned out watching the Turian drop out of sight and shook his head. "Okay. I'm with Joker on this one," John turned back to Anderson and his fire team. "I hate that guy."

Kaidan laughed clapping him on the shoulder. "Well, look at it this way, Commander. You won't have him looking over your shoulder the whole way."

"Yeah, well," John checked his rifle, probably for the fifth time while on the deck. "I wonder how long it takes him to put that paint on every morning."

Despite themselves, Anderson and Kaidan both laughed at the joke. Jenkins however looked at Shepard with wide eyes. "Really? That's paint? He has to do that _every_ morning?!" he said incredulously.

That prompted a laugh out of all three of the officers. "No, Jenkins," John chuckled. "Well, it is paint. But it isn't so fragile as that. The color and pattern signify the colony he is from.

Jenkins nodded, his eyes still wide. "Ohhh...I get it," he was looking at John with hero eyes again. "You know a lot about Turians, Commander!"

The laugh died on Shepard's lips with a sigh as he turned to Captain Anderson. "Jenkins. It's in the standard species briefs we get in boot." he heard Kaidan explaining to the trooper, far more patiently than he could have.

"The mission is yours now Shepard, good luck!" Anderson told him, clapping John on the shoulder. "You got this, son."

John nodded his head and turned to his team. "Mount up. We drop in five!"

* * *

Ashley Williams, Eden Prime

Dodging behind a tree, Ashley took deep ragged breaths. She looked over to see Donkey take a shot in the back. The plasma bolts from the Geth drone cutting through the back of his armor, and bursting out his chest.

Closing her eyes Ashley took a deep breath and leaned out from her cover, firing her Avenger into one of the two drones that had been following the last members of the 212. It's shields flared and collapsed under the sustained fire, the drone crashing to the ground, spilling other drone fired on her, forcing her back into cover as it's plasma bolts burned into the tree she was behind.

Ashley wrinkled her nose at the acrid smell of ozone and charred wood. _Pull it together Ash,_ she thought to herself. She checked her rifle and saw the heatsink had fully vented and was ready to go.

Leaning out, she fired a short burst at the drone as she sprinted to a small gully, half hopping, half sliding down its rocky slope. As she hit the bottom she glanced back. Feeling her stomach sink she saw another drone had joined the first as they crested the small ridge, firing at her.

A pair of shots plowed into her from behind, but her shields held. The impact from the plasma bolts knocking her off her feet, her rifle flipping away from her. As she slid to a stop, Ashley rolled to her back, her heavy pistol already unfolding in her hands. She fired several shots into one of the drones, and was satisfied by it exploding, taking the second drone with it.

Replacing her pistol on her hip she reached for her rifle as she saw a pair of humanoid Geth platforms farther down the gulley, placing what appeared to be a colonist over some sort of large piece of tech. She watched in horror as a metal spike shot out of the device, ripping through the colonist's midsection and jerked him close to ten feet in the air.

"No!" Ashley yelled, firing at the two Geth platforms. As her rifle overheated and began venting it's heat, she realized these Geth were not mere mindless drones. They both took cover behind two large rocks that littered the gully, firing back at her from the cover.

Dodging back, Ashley ducked behind a large rock, trying to will her rifle to vent faster. "C'mon, c'mon…" she growled, pulling back as burning rock chip scattered over her armor. "I'm not going to go out by giant walking flashlights…"

"Down!" she heard a male voice shout. Wasting no time, Ashley dropped to her knees, glancing up as she saw a blue packet of biotic energy shoot over her head.

* * *

John

It was his fault. He should have paid closer attention. He should have moved forward himself. Anything. Jenkins died because of his mistake. Leaning over he pulled one Alliance holotag from the man, no, he was just a boy. A boy who looked up to him. "We will come back later to retrieve the body," John said in a monotone. "We have to finish the mission."

As he and Kaidan pushed forward down the rock strewn path they heard the discharge of the plasma guns, like the ones on the drones. Intermittent with the staccato of rifle fire.

The men looked at each other for a moment before John nodded. "Let's move!" he growled as the two began running down the path. They came around a corner, finding themselves on a rise overlooking a small battle. John could see an Alliance soldier wearing the distinctive pink of the Phoenix style combat armor. He mentally paused to take in how ridiculous the armor was. He honestly had no idea who came up with a white on pink design. Or what idiot decided Marines should wear it into combat.

Shaking his head John looked farther up the gully, spotting a pair of Geth. Full on, humanoid, rifle firing Geth. "Fuck me," he muttered. He heard a short laugh from Alenko as he came up behind John.

"My scanners are jammed, but I can eyeball two of them," Kaidan said, peering over the small rock he was behind. "They look like they have rifle versions of the guns they drones had."

"They do indeed," John responded, looking over the scene himself. "Alright, I'm going to hit them with a biotic shot, you move down to the trooper and see if they are in one piece. Then cover me as I move to join you. Got it?"

Kaidan nodded, charging up his own rifle. "Ready Commander!"

A tight blue corona erupted around John as a bundle of dark energy coalesced in his right hand. As he prepared to throw, John saw a Geth closing on the troopers position. Cursing, John yelled, "Down!" And launched the warp at the approaching geth, hoping the trooper would hear.

To his relief, the soldier dropped to its knees as the warp packet impacted in the Geth's chest, the violent gravitational energies ripping at the molecular structure of the platform. The Geth dropped its rifle, following it, as it fell face first into the dirt.

As the machine died, Kaidan was dropping behind the boulder, and checking on the trooper. He turned to gesture to Shepard that they were okay, as John dropped into the gully himself.

Pulling up short, John looked past the cover Kaidan and the marine stood behind, seeing three more Geth moving up. One of them tossed a small device on the ground, and a small hexagon of energy formed up from it, giving the Geth cover.

"Well," John said to himself. "That isn't fair."

As the Geth fired on him, John charged left, away from Kaidan and the trooper. As he had hoped, the Geth followed him with their fire, tracking his movement.

John keyed his comm to Kaidan, "Both of you hit them hard. I'm going over the barricade!"

"You are WHAT?!" he heard Kaidan sputter.

John grinned with a feral glint. He had been told it reminded people of something similar his mother would do. Generally right before she did something dangerous. And probably stupid.

As Kaidan and the marine opened fire on the Geth, driving them back to cover, John sharply changed his course, heading straight at the Geth energy shield. As he approached, he pulled a blue barrier of biotic energy around himself and hurled his body over the shield, plowing his shoulder into the Geth.

They both dropped to the ground, and John rolled hard away from it. He held his rifle tight against his side as he pointed it one handed at the Geth unit beginning to pull itself up. Its shields flared before collapsing, the rounds ripping through the metallic body.

From behind him, plasma bolts impacted into John's barrier, draining off a large portion of its energy.

Letting the impact push him, John dropped his overheated rifle and jerked the heavy pistol from his hip. As it unfolded in his grip John was already running at the last two Geth. A ball of biotic energy hit one of the two platforms, jerking it into the air, it's limbs flailed about as it spun slowly in place. Easy pickings as Kaidan and the marine shot it apart.

The other Geth swung it's rifle around to track John, firing bolts into his barrier, dropping it. The last two plasma bolts impacted into his armor as he twisted his body, most of their energy burning furrows into the black chest piece.

John swung a fist into the machine's glowing optic, shattering it, the light dying as it stumbled back effectively blind. John the grabbed the machine by its chest plate, pulling it forward as he jammed the barrel of his heavy pistol into the joint where the neck and body met and emptied the heat sink into it. As its body went limp John dropped it to the ground, breathing heavily.

* * *

Ashley

She stood with her mouth open in shock as the man in black N7 armor wrapped himself in a blue biotic glow and lept over the Geth energy screen and began firing into it. The he just rolled back to his feet, drawing a pistol. She saw a flash of blue as one of the Geth floated up from behind it's cover, its limbs flailing.

The other marine, in standard armor, had to nudge her as he began firing into the floating Geth. With a shake of her head Ashley began pumping rounds into the metallic body as well. As its body broke up, its pieces floated around for half a beat before it rained back to the ground.

Allowing herself a moment to smile at the sight, Ashley looked to the last Geth, but the N7 was already dropping its smoking ruin onto the ground, and turning around to face her.

"What the shit?" she breathed.

* * *

Kaidan Alenko, Eden Prime

 _Well, he's dead,_ Kaidan thought as Shepard ran off at an angle away from the cover he said he was going to. Glancing over the marine, he was pretty sure she was uninjured. Exhausted maybe, but not injured.

Kaidan's comm crackled to life, "Both of you hit them hard. I'm going over the barricade!"

As his eyes widened, Kaidan looked around the cover, pushing the other marine down as he did so. "You are WHAT?!" he sputtered.

Sure enough, Shepard was charging the strange energy hexagon. He had apparently pulled a biotic barrier around himself for protection.

Cursing to himself, Kaidan began firing, forcing the Geth down as Shepard dove over the barricade into the first Geth.

Shaking his head, he saw Shepard fling a second Geth into the air, exposing it. As he began firing into it, he nudged the other marine. "Eyes front soldier. This isn't time to smell flowers!"

The trooper shook herself and began dumping her own rounds into the floating machine. Between the two of them, they made short work of it.

As Shepard dropped the last Geth, Kaidan stepped out from around the boulder. "Seriously Commander?" he asked, flabbergasted. "Seriously?"

Shepard smirked at him and shrugged. "Worked didn't it?" he chuckled as her collapsed his pistol and clipped it back onto the maglock at his hip. As he picked up his rifle, Shepard motioned to the marine they had rescued. "They okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the woman said walking up next to Kaidan and saluting. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212. Thanks for the save, you pulled my ass out of the fire!"

* * *

John

"...Thanks for the save, you pulled my ass out of the fire!" Chief Williams said, saluting.

John waved the salute away as he looked back toward the colony proper. "No ally left behind," he said quoting part of the N7 motto. "What's the situation, Chief?"

Williams pulled off her helmet, and wiped the sweat from her face, pushing back stray bits of her dark hair that had come loose from her tight bun. "I don't know about the colony itself, sir. The 212 and I have been playing Robot and Mouse for the last two days. I'm the last of my squad."

John could see the pain in her eyes. He knew where she was. He had been there. "Alright. Take five. Nihilus is probably already at the colony. We need to meet up with him and secure the Prothean artifact."

"Yes, sir," the two marines replied as they sat taking the moment to catch their breath.

Nodding, John walked over to one of the Geth and picked up it's rifle. As he looked at it he noticed that is had no trigger mechanism. A machine probably didn't need one. Unfortunately, it was not usable.

After giving the rifle a quick scan with his omnitool, he dropped it next to the Geth body and moved to the far more interesting piece of tech, the energy barricade. As John ran his omnitool's scanner over it, he saw a switch built into the side. As he hit it, the device powered down and folded in on itself, becoming a small bundle, about the size of an American football.

Shrugging, John clamped the device onto a lock on his back and turned back to Ashley and Kaidan. "Allright Marines. Let's move!"

* * *

John, Eden Prime, Transit Site

Plasma bolts bit into the plasticrete wall John had ducked behind, sending a shower of chips scattering over the battle scored N7 armor he wore. "Jesus. If it wasn't already black it would be by now, the way these Geth keep coming. Is there a damned factory here of something?" John asked looking over at Ashley.

"What?" she called back, sounding insulted. "I thought everybody knew that the new Geth and Death outlet store was being built. It was supposed to be a tourist draw. But when we found the Prothean thing it was abandoned."

John snickered as he fired down range taking a Geth in the head piece. "So you are saying this is a revolt because we broke the non-competition clause?"

Leaning out Ashley threw the last of her grenades, blowing a group of three Geth apart before ducking back. "Exactly. We just didn't expect these fuckers to be such poor losers!"

"Really guys?" Kaidan spoke over the comm. "I am trying to defuse a rather large bomb here, you think you can let me concentrate?"

Reaching out with his biotics, John pulled a Geth over the barrier he was behind, smashing it into another one of the machines that had been preparing to make a charge at the group.

"Think of this as a…" John started. Before Kaidan cut him off.

"Don't! Don't you fucking say it!"

John grinned at Ashley and gave her a wink. "...It's a trial by fire!"

"Ah, that's terrible," Ashley groaned, before adding, "Sir."

"Dammit Shepard, really?" Kaidan said, sounding sad. "That was really too corny."

John looked offended as Ashley's rifle blew the leg off one of the Geth, dropping it's body to the ground. "What do you mean? That was great!"

"Face it Shepard," Kaidan said. "You blew it."

"Ha!" Ashley laughed as John fired into the Geth she had dropped.

"Oh, come on! That wasn't any better!" John protested.

"Yes, it was. Because I am the one who just defused the last bomb," Kaidan said smugly. "Ready to wrap it up over there?"

"That's it Kaidan. No pudding for you with dinner tonight." John said as he charged around the wall and into the last Geth on the train platform. His shoulder caught it in what was the belly for most species, and carried it over the handrail to the secondary platform below. With a flare of his biotics, John landed on top of the Geth with the force of an elephant being dropped on it.

The Geth's body squawked, as if protesting the entire argument the human had, as it smashed nearly flat beneath John's body.

"And that is it, Lady and Kaidan," John said as he stood up, dusting his hands off. He looked at the beacon as the other two maries came down to the platform to meet him.

Stepping away from the two he brought his comm up to the Normandy. "This is Commander Shepard. We cleared the jammer and have secured the Prothean device. Come in for a pick up."

"On our way Commander," Captain Anderson's voice came back. "I am looking forward to your report. We can't raise Nihilus, have you seen him?"

Clearing his throat, John turned to look at Kaidan, who shrugged at him.

John's eyes widened as he saw Ashley, over Kaidan's shoulder. She was being pulled toward the Prothean device, as it radiated some kind of energy.

Pushing Kaidan aside, John ran to Ashley, wrapping his arms around her waist and heaving her to the side.

Suddenly, John felt himself jerked bodily off his feet and pulled into the air in front of the device, the...Beacon, he somehow knew.

Then pain erupted in his mind as memories and images forced themselves into his brain. Pain, blood and death. He saw it, felt it and could smell it. He saw giant shapes, cities falling to ruin as they burned. A horrible dull thrumming noise that, somehow, he knew brought devastation and death. He saw bodies torn apart, strange pieces of technology ripping through them. Then a plain field, the light of a red sun painting everything in a dull shade of red, like old blood. And four eyes, their pupils shaped like hourglasses. And a voice, imperialistic, demanding. Commanding. "Prepare!" it roared.

John's eyes snapped open.


	3. CH3 Recruitment Drive

Urdnot Wrex, Chora's Den

"...Fist told us to take you down if you showed up again, Wrex," the Krogan bouncer snarled, poking a finger at Wrex.

Wrex looked at the finger, then back at it's owner. The bouncer was young. Maybe no more than fifty. He was wearing that soft armor that some Krogan wore when they had more mainstream jobs. It had little carbon-ceramic plates in it, bust was mostly a ballistic weave. It was mostly worn by bouncers and the like. To look threatening enough to give drunk troublemakers pause, but not so much people wouldn't want to come to the club, or bar.

He was also a head shorter than Wrex, and probably two hundred pounds lighter. And Wrex was in heavy armor. And had a bit of a reputation. All in all, Wrex was rather impressed that the finger only shook a little bit.

"Well," he growled, taking one step closer to the young bouncer. So close that if the Krogan didn't pull his finger back quickly, it would have touched Wrex on the chest plate. "I'm standing right here. What are you waiting for?"

Locking eyes with the bouncer, Wrex took another step forward. Now he was looming over the smaller Krogan, close enough to smell the fear in him. "This is Fist's only chance." This time it was Wrex's turn to poke the bouncer in the chest, his single finger forcing the other Krogan back a step of his own. "If he's smart, he'll take it."

To the bouncers credit, he stood his ground. "He's not coming out Wrex, end of story," his voice only waived a little.

Grunting, Wrex took a step back, but his eyes narrowed. "The story is just beginning," he spat as he turned around to see three humans walking up. Two males and a female. He thought it was hard to tell with humans at times.

All of the humans wore decent body armor and carried heavy weapons. Though the one he pegged for female wore some horrid white on pink armor. It was bad enough he actually paused a moment to appreciate it's level of horrid.

"Out of the way humans. I have no quarrel with you," Wrex grumbled as he pushed past them. The pink one was female. He could smell the hormones. And they were directed at the male that seemed to be the leader.

He recognized the N7 emblem on the black armor, which appeared to have taken a bit of a beating. Recently too. The emblem was some sort of elite human unit, or some such. Wrex figured it was like a Battlemaster. Having faced a couple and coming away with scars to show for it, he gave this one a small nod of respect as he lumbered away.

* * *

John, Chora's Den

Approaching the club, John could see a small standoff between what looked like a Krogan bouncer, and a much larger Krogan in heavy red armor. The bouncer was big enough, Krogan just were, but the other made this one look small.

After a moment, the larger one turned around, and John could see some impressive scarring on it's face. Great gouges in it's head plate scoured down the right side, becoming three deep scars across the Krogan's face, all the way to halfway down it's neck.

"Out of the way humans. I have no quarrel with you," it growled as it pushed past. Though it seemed to hesitate for a moment, one red eye scanning over Ashley's armor, a hint of disgust flashed across it's face. John _really_ needed to get her new armor.

But when the eye moved over John, it paused on the N7 emblem. It's eye moved back to John's face, and it nodded, a look of respect flashed across it's face as it stomped past.

"What was that about?" Ashley asked. Scowling at the retreating behemoth.

John just shook his head as he also watched the Krogan leave. "No idea." he paused a long moment considering. "Am I alone, or have either of you ever wondered about their little tails?"

Both marines looked at him, horror on their faces as their eyes darted between their commander and the bouncer at the door.

After a moment the bouncer began to laugh deeply, his hand slapping his thigh. "Ha! You're all right human, go on in," it said, chuckling. "But I gotta tell you, start any shit with those pea shooters, and we gotta feed them to you, got it?"

John turned back to the bouncer with a nod. "No problem. We are just here to talk to a guy." He started to lead the two into the club when he paused to look back to the bouncer. "Actually, maybe you could save us some time. We are looking for Harkin. He here?"

At the name the Krogan sneered in disgust. "Yeah, the little maggot is here. He is running dangerously close to losing a hand if he can't keep them to himself. May want to warn him."

John shook his head, with a smirk. "Nah, I have questions he _will_ answer for me. Not here to pull his head out of his ass."

"Fair enough, human," the bouncer waved them in again.

* * *

Ashley, Chora's Den

"What the fuck was that?!" Ashley nearly yelled as they walked back out of Chora's Den. " 'Hey, baby, come sit on my lap and maybe I will remember something' " she quoted, disgust written clearly on her face. "I mean, seriously?!"

Ashley paused a moment on the way and turned to the Krogan bouncer. "You know what? Fuck Harking. Cut his hand off! No! Better, break each bone in his fucking hand!"

Kaidan laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder and guiding her away. "Jesus, Ash, calm down before you bust a blood vessel," he attempted to mollify her.

She spun on him, glaring. "Oh no, fuck you, Alenko. And I mean that with utmost respect, " she snarled. "Sir."

John shook his head at the pair. "Come on," he said. "Let's get back to C-Sec. Maybe we can catch Garrus there before he goes to that Dr. Michelle's clinic.

Ashley grunted, still angry. "Whatever you say, Skipper."

John, C-Sec Headquarters

Going down the steps in C-Sec, John could hear what sounded like an argument. "Come on Wrex. We have a bunch of witnesses saying you were making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him!"

As John stepped into the main lobby he saw a small group of C-Sec officers, mostly Turian, but one human, who seemed to be trying to talk down the giant Krogan they had seen earlier at Chora's Den.

"I don't take orders from you, tiny," Wrex laughed down at the man.

"Seriously Wrex, this is your only warning," the officer said, taking a step back as Wrex cut him off.

"You should be warning Fist," the Krogan snapped. John chuckled as he saw the entire group of officers take a step back, their hands tightening on their undrawn weapons. "I _will_ kill him."

Hearing the laugh Wrex turned his head to appraise John, and nodded in recognition.

The human officer swallowed hard, and screwed up his courage now that Wrex wasn't looking at him. "Do...do you want me to arrest you?"

Turning back, Wrex grinned. "I want you to _try_."

After a moment of silence as Wrex stared down the entire squad, he turned and walked over to John's group. "Go on! Get out of here!" the officer yelled at his back, trying to save face.

John shook his head at the man, thought he had to hand it to him. It took a lot of guts to even try to stand up to a Krogan of Wrex's size.

Turning to the Krogan in question John smiled. "You seem popular."

Wrex chuffed in amusement. "I seem to be. What do you want human. I doubt you are following me for a hug."

"Ha, no," John laughed. "I'm John Shapard. I came here to try to catch a C-Sec officer that might have some information I need." John eyed Wrex a little warily. "Though Barla Von did mention you as well. Von said you might have some information as well. I am looking to bring down Saren and he pointed me at you."

"Barla Von is a wise being. And now we share a common goal."

John frowned. "Enlighten me."

Wrex leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "I've been hired to kill the owner of Chora's Den. A human male named Winslow Fist. He did something very stupid."

"Yeah, what was that?"

"He betrayed the Shadow Broker. See, a Quarian showed up here on the Citadel. She seemed to be running from something. She went to Fist, asking for protection. Said she would trade proof that Saren had allied with the Geth," Wrex explained. "Fist said he would set up a deal with the Shadow Broker, but contacted Saren's people. Seems they paid him a small fortune to bring them the girl. Or at least the information."

Running a hand through his hair, John sighed. "Why is it always so complicated."

Wrex shook his big head with a chuckle. "If it wasn't, the galaxy wouldn't need killers like you and me."

John laughed with the Krogan. "Well, I can't argue that point," John conceded, wiping his hands together. "Well, then It certainly does look like we have a mutual goal here."

"Tell you what human. We work together, I'll help you get into Chora's Den to get your information, and you help me get to Fist so I can kill him."

The human C-Sec officer turned around and yelled over to the group. "We are still right here Wrex!"

"I don't care," Wrex dismissed the man, not looking away from John.

Laughing again, John nodded. "Well, looks like we have a deal. But I have another one," John paused and Wrex looked interested. "I had been told that there is a Turian officer that is looking for a way to bust Saren as well."

Wrex shrugged. "So?"

"Well," John smirked. "He also is supposed to have gotten pass codes to Fist's security."

"I think we might have a new, good friend," Wrex chuckled. "Why don't we got have a chat with him."

"I heard he was going to see a Dr. Michelle at her clinic in the Wards. I had hoped to catch him here but it looks like we missed him."

Wrex cocked his head to a side slightly as he thought. "I think I overheard something about a Garrus going to talk to a doctor down in the Wards. Seems she patched up a Quarian a couple days ago."

"Well, sounds like a guy we double want to meet." John gestured to the door politely. "Shall we go, good sir?"

"Mmm," Wrex nodded playing along. "Yes. Let's."

* * *

Garrus Vakaian, Upper Wards, Clinic

"Just let her go human. Don't be stupid," Garrus mentally swore at himself. This was _not_ how this was supposed to go. He was just coming here, getting a little info, and heading back out. He _really_ wasn't planning to take on Fist's thugs.

"You shut up, lizard man!" the human spat. Garrus could hear the fear in the man's voice. "You drop your gun and I walk out of here with the doctor, or else!"

"Seriously? Why do you morons _always_ say that?" Garrus mocked. "Where is it you expect to go _to_? You _do_ know you are on a space station, right?"

"Turians are avian divergence. Krogan are the reptilian ones," Garrus heard a human voice from behind the thug.

"Hey, I don't even know what reptilian _is_!" came the indignant rumble that could only come from a Krogan.

"What?" the human thug turned his head to look toward the door behind himself.

That was the moment Garrus had been waiting for. He fired one shot from his heavy pistol catching the human in the side of the head, right in the...what was the human word for those weird flaps… Ears? Something like that.

The thug dropped like a stone, as Dr. Michelle cried out shortly and danced away from the dropping criminal.

"Okay, that was a good shot," A human said walking in clapping quietly.

Garrus kept his hand tight on his pistol. He didn't know if this human was with the thug yet or not. Though, honestly, he suspected not. This one was far over dressed for one of the petty morons Fist usually hired.

"Huh. Well. I suppose Turians have to be good at something," the largest Krogan Garrus had ever seen, said, walking in behind the human.

Garrus' eyes widened as he saw the Krogan dragging another one of Fist's thugs in, the poor man's head covered in one of the Krogan hands. _Who ever these two are, they clearly don't work for Fist_ , he thought lowering his gun and placing it back on his hip.

"I do try," Garrus said. Moving over to the stunned doctor. "Dr. Michelle, are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I am alright," the doctor assured him. He found the doctor's accent to be rather interesting. More melodic, smoother, than most humans. He was pretty sure one of the other officers mention it was because of the place she was born, some colony called 'France'.

Nodding to the woman he patted her arm, in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. It was hard to tell with humans. The didn't have mandibles, how was he suppose to tell one mood from another?

"Are you Garrus?" the human asked.

Garrus turned to the man. Black armor, military grade, seen some use. Weapons, also military, probably Alliance. His, fringe… hair, whatever it was called was cut short and a strange yellow color. Eyes, blue. Like deep ocean. Some fire in them though. Darkness too. This human has seen some nasty things. N7 emblem on his armor. That explained it.

The Krogan he recognized. Urdnot Wrex. Krogan bounty hunter. Rumormill had it he was once a Battlemaster. It was the size and facial scars that gave him away though. His armor was heavy, and he had a small cannon of a shotgun clamped to his lower back over his tail. That stubby little tail. So weird….

Looking between the two, he nodded. "Yeah, I'm Garrus."

The human looked pleased. "Perfect. I'm John Shepard, Alliance military, Commander. Wrex, here, and I would like your help with a Fist problem."

"Huh, I know you Shepard, I was in the Council Chamber when you went to talk to them about Saren," Garrus worked his mandibles as he thought. "I was doing an investigation into Saren myself. I know he's dirty, I just couldn't prove it in time. I heard about the Quarian, so I came here to talk to the doctor about it."

The human, Shepard, nodded. "I had heard. I also know that Fist is working with Saren, and planning on killing the girl for her information."

Garrus felt his mandibles pull tight against his face. "Spirits, that's the last thing we need."

Shepard nodded again. "Wrex and I hear you might have a way to get to him."

"I do," Garrus confirmed. "I pulled his security codes off one of his boys a couple days ago. Have not been able to do anything with them though. He still has a lot of thugs with guns. Even without these two." He gestured and the dead men.

"Ha ha," Wrex laughed. "More like five." The Krogan dropped the body as he jerked a thumb behind him, out the door.

"Well," Garrus said wryly. "Five down, only like, twenty to go."

"I have a couple of my people keeping an eye on the place," Shepard said. "Apparently they locked it down. So, if nothing else, it will be exciting."

"Ha ha!" Wrex laughed.

* * *

John, Chora's Den, Fist's Office

"...When she gets there, it will be Saren's men waiting for her," Fist whimpered.

John reached down and pulled him up by the front of his tailored jacket. "Give me the location. Now!"

Fist cowered in John's grip. "Okay, okay! It's here, in the Lower Wards, out in an alley behind the market!"

Dropping the man, John wiped his hand off on the side of his leg armor. It was probably his imagination, but it felt slimy.

Wrex stepped forward and looked a John. "We done with him?"

"Hmm, oh yeah," John stepped back and gestured at the criminal. "All yours."

"Ah, good," Wrex said. The Krogan pointed his shotgun at Fist's face and fired point blank. The head disappeared into a fine mist all over the back wall of his office.

"Okay," John said, wrinkling his nose. "For some reason, I didn't expect it to be quite so messy."

Garrus clapped him on the shoulder. "Really Shepard? A Krogan tells you he it going to kill somebody, and you didn't expect it to be messy?"

"Ha ha!" Wrex laughed.

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Lower Wards, Alley

Her hands were winging at her waist. They did that when she was stressed. She was trying to lean against a wall of the alley. Trying to look like she belonged, was a tough woman. Not the scared young girl she was. What the hell had she been thinking, coming to the Citadel? All she had managed to do is get shot.

Tali's hand lightly brushed over the patch in her suit, the wound still tender. _At least the fever broke last night_ , she thought. _Probably would be a bad first impression to meet the Shadow Broker with a nose full of gunk._

With that thought she frowned. Where _was_ the Shadow Broker. He should be here by….

She heard footsteps coming down the alley and stepped forward, seeing a turian. He was wearing the stiff clothes most Turians wore if they weren't armored.

The Turian approached her, looking her over slowly. She shivered involuntarily. His look felt...off. This was a cruel man.

"Did you bring it?" he asked, his voice a purr. As he spoke, he ran a hand down her upper arm, his eyes going to her waist.

It was a setup. She knew it! "Where's the Shadow Broker?" she asked, slapping away his hand. "Know what? Never mind, deals off!"

She turned to walk away but the taloned hand grabber her wrist. "You aren't going anywhere. Saren gets what he wants!"

Tali fought down the urge to scream, as she saw another Turian and a pair of Salarians step into the alley, weapons drawn. She struggled knowing it would probably arouse the criminal even more. Besides, even if she did scream for help, nobody would waste their time to help some Quarian girl.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" She heard a male voice yell from the opposite entrance to the alley.

When the Turian froze and looked up in shock, Tali made a move. Pulling a stun grenade she had cobbled together from some scrap parts, she threw it at the Turian's feet.

When it flared up with a flash and a small plume of smoke, Tali tumbled to the ground as the Turian pushed her away.

Her victory was short lived as she saw the Turian level a pistol at her visor. "Die, _suit rat_!'

Tali cried out as she scrambled backwards until she hit the wall behind her. There was an air vent on either side of her. Now she had no place else to go. She couldn't even close her eyes as she stared down the guns barrel.

Before the shot came however, the Turian was ripped clean off his feet in a rippling blue corona, and sent hurtling down the alley. Tali tried to scramble to her feet, but as she attempted to stand assault rifle rounds peppered her hiding place, making her shields flare and and quickly collapse as she ducked back into her nook.

Reaching back, Tali yanked her old, worn shotgun from her back, feeling unfold into her hands. It had been a gift from Han'Gerrel. He was her father's best friend, and an Uncle to her. Though, to be honest, he was more of a father than Real'Zorah was…

She shook her head. This was hardly the time to feel sorry for herself, people were trying to kill her! And right now, all she had on her side was an old shotgun and some crazy human, who probably ran off once he realize how over his head the situation was. _Of course, you are Quarian, you stupid girl_ , she cursed herself again

Taking a deep breath, Tali prepared to get to her feet and run. Her shields had recharged, and maybe if she fired a couple shots, they would duck down long enough for her to get away….

Then she saw a back clad in black armor. It was broad. Well, noticeably more broad the a Quarian male's anyway. She noticed the white/red/white strip the ran up the armors right arm up to the shoulder. Her eyes followed it to the male's head. She realized it was human. It must have been the human from earlier.

Her eyes widened when she looked at his face. It was true! Humans did look more like Quarians than any other known race! The face was a bit more square than a Quarians, she noted. Not in a bad way, it kind of gave him a rugged, dependable look. He had hair. She remembered that in the Pilgrimage brief. They were like Quarians in that. This male's hair was cut short, maybe a couple inches on top, but shaved completely off his neck. But it was the brilliant shade of gold, that for some reason made her want to run her finger through it.

When she looked into his eyes, she was captivated. They were a deep blue that reminded her of the pictures she had see of the the Home World's oceans. They were at once kind, but also hard. His eyes made her feel safe, for the first time since she had left the Flotilla. _Silly girl_! She thought. _You haven't even spoken to him!_

Then the world snapped back into real time. Weapon rounds hailed down around the two of them as she human slapped a small device on the ground and struck it with the underside of his fist.

A field sprang to life from the device, small hexagons forming a half bubble over the two of them. It absorbed the rounds coming at the pair as the human glanced over his shoulder at her.

"You hurt?" he asked, quickly.

"What," she asked and shook her head. "Fine. I'm fine. I can take care of myself!" Her voice sounded harsh to her own ears. _Get it together, Tali!_ "I, uh, I mean, not that I don't appreciate the help…." _Not helping, Tali_ , she berated herself.

The human chuckled and grinned at her. Tali marveled at how expressive his face was. She could see his emotions flow over it. It was… Well, she thought he was kinda...cute, actually…

"I have no doubt, miss," he said. For some reason she felt he truly meant it. He wasn't belittling her. "Tell you what, when the shield drops, I'll pull the bad guys out of cover and you let them have it. Work?"

Tali adjusted her grip on the shotgun and nodded. "Let's do it!" she said, hoping she sounded more confident than she felt.

"Grenade!" Tali yelled seeing the explosive slide along the floor to rest next to the shield.

The human saw it and yelled, "Shit!" As he grabbed her, pulling her close as a blue biotic barrier erupted around them.

The explosion collapsed the shield and shove the male hard into Tali, but he braced his arms against the wall, over her head, keeping himself from crushing her with his weight.

"You okay?" he yelled down at her. _He probably can't hear well right now_ , she realized. Her helmet's audio pick ups automatically dampened the sound of the grenade going off, but the human wasn't so lucky.

"I'm fine," she yelled back, nodding to him. She froze then as something dripped onto her visor. She looked up at the male and gasped as she saw blood running from his nose. It was red. Just like Quarian blood.

Rounds began to bounce off his barrier causing him to wince with each impact. _He is burning himself out to save you, idiot girl!_

Before she could stop herself, Tali reached up and wrapped both her arms around the Male's neck and pulled him into her. She pushed herself as far back into the small cover she was in, dragging him nearly on top of her, trying to get him out of the line of fire.

His eyes widened as she pulled, but he seemed too surprised to stop her, as he fell forward.

As she settled back, Tali threw her shotgun over his back, aiming out, in case one of the assassins rushed them.

But, instead, a Krogan rushed past, roaring out a battle cry as rounds bounced off his own barrier.

Then a Turian was there, this one wearing blue armor and firing back at the thugs with a heavy pistol. He stopped and knelt just outside the little spot that Tali had pulled the male human into.

"Really, Shepard?" His dual toned voice dripped sarcasm. "You save the girl then leap on her? Hardly a dashing hero now."

The human sighed in her arms and sat up on his heels, and looked at the Turian. "You know Garrus," he said. "You can shut up." The Turian, Garrus, snickered at him. "No really, Garrus, shut up. Is Wrex done?"

Garrus looked up as the Krogan strode into view, his armor was covered in the blue blood of Turians and the greenish of Salarian. "I am indeed, Shepard," the Krogan, Wrex said, looking down at the pair. "Now, if you two are done mating?"

The human, called Shepard looked down at Tali, their eyes met for a moment before they both looked down farther, realizing the position they were in.

Shepard was between Tali's legs, one of her own, wrapped around one of his. As he had sat back, she had settled against the wall, her hips pressed against his thighs.

"Ah, shit!" he said, scrambling to get up. At he moved, his leg caught on her and he tumbled forward. His face landing between her breasts. They sat there a moment more as he slowly pulled himself upright, Tali saw his face had flushed a red color. _So, that's how humans blush…_ she thought to herself, blushing madly under her helmet as well.

Shepard cleared his throat as he slowly, but carefully, this time, extracted himself from her. As he stood and backed away a couple of steps, he extended a hand to her. "Well, not exactly the daring rescue I had planned," he said calmly as he helped he to his feet. "I was hoping I could ask you to help me. I understand you have information that could bring down Saren. I would like to present it to the Council, so that Saren can be hunted down like a dog."

As she released Shepard's hand, Tali stepped back and wrung her hands together a couple of times as she nodded. "Um..Ye-Yes! I do!" she said quickly, trying to sound calm. But she knew she wasn't convincing. "I would gladly give it to you. As you, um, as you saved my life…."

Tali and Shepard stood a moment looking at each other before Shepard pulled a small cloth from a pouch at his belt and wiped at her visor. "I, uh," he said. "I got a little blood on you there…"

"BWA AHA HA HA HA HA!" Garrus doubled over laughing and slapping at Shepard's back. He had been fighting hard to keep from losing it, he fought so hard he had been quivering. But nobody could survive that last shot.

Shepard's brows furrowed flat over his eyes. As Wrex began to laugh in a booming laugh, that echoed down the alley. Both aliens looked like the might actually die of suffocation.

"I hate you both," Shepard said quietly, sending both of them into fits again.


	4. CH4 Jane's Interlude

Jane Shepard, SSV Perugia

"...John Shepard, seen here, being sworn in as Humanity's first Spectre! This is a momentous day for all members of the System Allian…."

Jane turned off the vid monitor in the officer's stateroom and sat for a moment. The room itself was quiet. The saying 'so quiet, you could hear a pin drop' was probably created for this exact moment. None of the other five officers said anything. None of them moved. One, sweated.

"Hmm," was the sound that broke the silence of the room itself. One officer, swallowed.

"Well," Jane said, her voice was completely neutral. There was not a hint of emotion. "That. That right there. That is a thing."

One of the younger officers, a flight lieutenant, he had just been assigned to the Perugia, maybe, a week before, slowly turned to look at the Captain. When he had first arrived, he had been struck by how beautiful she was. She had that dark red hair, cut, maybe neck length, if it wasn't up in the bun she wore when on duty. Her face had smooth lines, a full lipped mouth, a strong chin. She was tall, probably six feet tall. She was slender, but not in a skinny way. She was a woman who kept herself in top physical condition. But the thing that truly struck him was her eyes. Her eyes were a deep blue. The kind you could get lost in. A part of his brain, when she had seen her brother on the news vid, recognized that they had the same eyes. In fact it was almost uncanny.

However, at this moment. She was still beautiful. But more, she was terrifying.

Jane's eyebrows were drawn down into a straight line over her eyes. Her lips were pursed, also in a straight line. And, probably the most terrifying part was how she did not move. She stared straight ahead and the vid screen. Her feet sat fully on the floor, her knees an equal distance apart. Her arms lay on the armrests of her chair. Her hands, however, clung so hard to the ends of the rests her fingernails _literally_ tore small holes in the fabric. The fabric which, in theory, was supposed to be rip proof.

After, maybe, two heart beats, Jane's eyes snapped to the flight lieutenant. The officer felt her eyes boring through his head. He was fairly convinced she could read his mind right now. He had never wanted to go home, so badly, ever in his life.

"Garcia," she said. "Tell me. What do you think about that?" Oddly her voice was completely conversational. As if she had just asked about the weather.

"Um," he swallowed. Garcia's eyes darted to the other officers in the room, desperately, trying to get some hint how he should react. To his dismay, the entire room found something very interesting on their shoe. "Con-congratulations? You..um..must be quite pr-proud of your..uh..bro-brother?"

"Tell me, Garcia," She tone turned slightly frosty as her eyebrows began to knit into a frown. "Why, exactly, now, is it you sound hesitant?"

Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia, mentally, began to write his obituary. ' _Here Lies Garcia, The Moron Who Couldn't Keep His Mouth Shut.'_

"Well, ma'am," he began. "I was just so shocked at the..um.." _Think Garcia, THINK._ "At the great news that humanity finally has a Spectre, I couldn't organize my thoughts properly!"

Jane sat for another heartbeat, her gaze boring into his, before her face suddenly relaxed. Her brow lifted, her mouth swung up into a genuinely gorgeous smile. But it was her eyes. Her eyes never changed. They were full of flint, terror and blood.

Standing up quickly, Jane clapped her hands together. "I was thinking the same thing!" she said, her voice seemed to be laced with sugar. "Now then, Mr. Garcia. I was thinking I had not assessed your hand to hand skills yet." Jane's head tilted slightly to the right, looking, sort of...cutesy? "You will get your gear and join me in the exercise room."

Abruptly, she turned her heel and walked out of the room.

As the door closed the entire room seemed to release a gigantic breath. The four officers the were not Garcia, began to smile at each other. They congratulated one another for not being selected as the Captain's stress relief.

One by one, they stood and placing a hand, solemnly, on Garcia's shoulder, saying a kind or supporting word, departed the room.

Over the crew wide informal message board a post was made, anonymously. "All hands. Execution of Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia to commence at 1330 hours. Refreshments to be served. Odds stand- 2 mins. 2 to1, 5 mins 5 to1. 8 mins 9 to 1, 10 mins 50 to1. Place bets now with 'Colonel Bettington' "

Garcia continued to stare at the small holes in the arms of the Captain's chair.

* * *

John Shepard, SSV Normandy

Looking up from the datapad he was reading while sitting in the mess, drinking a mug of tea, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he frowned first at Garrus, then Ashley, then finally at Tali.

"Shepard," Garrus asked, worried. "Something wrong?"

"I, I'm not sure," John said shaking his head. "It's like a voice cried out in terror, then was suddenly...silenced…."

* * *

Hannah Shepard, SSV Kilimanjaro

Crossing her legs, Hannah brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ear. She noticed, to her dismay, that her red hair, much like her daughter's, was beginning to get some grey. _Well,_ she thought. _They do say it is usually caused by children._

As she had that thought, a young ensign approached the Captain's chair. In the woman's hand was a datapad, but it was a smile on the woman's face that raised one of Hannah's eyebrows.

"I am wary, Ensign Roebuck," she said. "You seem all to pleased."

Roebuck's smile became an outright grin, as she nodded to the datapad. "Ma'am, I can guarantee, this is nothing but good news."

Sceptical, Hannah looked down at the report she had been handed. Then she read it again, frowning slightly. Then a third time, a slow motherly smile on her face. Looking up at Ensign Roebuck, Hannah smiled warmly to her. "You are quite right my dear. This is quite good news."

As she handed the datapad back Hannah was struck with a thought. "Oh, dear. Jane must be… checking some poor crewman's hand to hand skills about now…"

Roebuck looked slightly alarmed. "Captain, I heard she knocked a Krogan unconscious once with a lead pipe!"

The bridge crew laughed warmly around Roebuck. They had all heard the story before. Hannah, herself, just chuckled ruefully. "No, dear, she had a riot baton." Nodding Roebuck stepped back. It was a silly idea anyway… "and she beat the poor man to death." the Captain finished.

* * *

Jane Shepard, SSV Perugia, Exercise Room

Stepping back from Garcia's prone form, Jane sneezed, looking around in a frown.

Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail, and she had changed out of her Alliance uniform to a sports bra and track pants. She was wearing fingerless, padded training gloves, and her feet were bare.

The most striking thing that Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia noted, as he stepped onto the mat earlier, was the impressive muscle definition on the Captain's body. He had probably forty pounds on the woman though, and he was confident in his hand to hand ability.

Well, he was also impressed and very confused by the large crowd that had gathered. And he was pretty sure a couple people were filming this?

At the moment, however, He found himself on the mat and he wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten there. He did know, for a fact, that everything was blurring and sort of spinning. And he sorta wanted to throw up.

"You better not puke Garcia," he heard Captain Shepard say. "It's been less than a minute. I am currently, underwhelmed. I'm thinking, we should make this an every other day thing," Jane nodded to herself. "Yeah, I think I need to whip you into shape."

Garcia heard a woman whoop from the crowd as Shepard glanced up. "Yeah, Medici, you are off the hook."

Flight Lieutenant Hernan Garcia, began to cry.

* * *

To: Captain Jane Shepard

From: Admiral Peter Mikhailovich

Subject: Report to Citadel

You are to bring the SSV Perugia to the Citadel Station for inspection, reload, refit, and personnel transfers.

You are to report to me, personally, upon arrival.

Peter Mikhailovich

Rear Admiral

63rd Scout Flotilla

* * *

To: Admiral Peter Mikhailovich

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: Re: Report to Citadel

Yes, sir. The SSV Perugia shall put into the Citadel immediately upon finishing the patrol assigned to us by Admiral Steven Hacket.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia

* * *

To: Commander John Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: Really?

Really, Jay Jay? Really? You couldn't handle me beating you to being a Captain as well as getting a command, that you had to cheat and get Captain Anderson to get you into the Spectres?

Mother must be SO disappointed in you right now.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia, 5th Fleet

* * *

To: Captain Jane Shepard

From: Commander John Shepard

Subject: Fwd: Congratulations!

Suck it.

Good work, Son! I am so proud of you! Your sister is a Captain and you make it into the Spectres! Words fail me. Truly I am blessed.

I know your work is dangerous, and about to only get more so, but don't forget that you can ask your Sister, or myself, for help at anytime.

Hestalia and Kelly send their love.

Love you, Mom

Hannah Shepard

Captain

SSV Kilimanjaro, 2nd Fleet

* * *

To: Commander John Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: I Fucking Hate You

No, seriously, I fucking hate you.

Mom was there when I got my eagle. You got Ambassador Udina.

Kelly loves me more

I hate you, fuck off and die in a varren fire.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia, 5th Fleet

PS Good work, we are all proud of you

PPS Don't forget to die in a Varren fire


	5. CH5 Before Therum

John, SSV Normandy

"Commander Shepard, has the Deck," the VI announced.

"Hey, Commander, What's the word? I just got notice of…Whoa," Joker started as he spun his piloting chair around to greet the Commander. He was a little taken aback by the aliens with him. "I see we have...guests?" he ventured.

John nodded, stepping onto the deck and glancing at the pilot. "We do indeed, Joker," John said "This mission is going to be a bit of a challenge. Each of these people are bringing skills we will be needing."

Joker shrugged, dismissively, "Hey, whatever takes the load off, no thing to me. More importantly, I just got the message that Anderson is grounded?"

Scowling, John nodded. "Yeah. He turned the Normandy over to me. Honestly, I don't like it, but I don't get much say in the matter."

"Pfft," Joker scoffed. "Really, Commander? You get made the first human Spectre, you get control of the most advanced ship in the Alliance Navy to assist you in tracking down Saren. The best living Spectre, and in the running of the top 10 ever. Who, I add, has gone rouge. Oh, and is working with the Geth. An alien synthetic race from beyond the Unknown. No, offense miss."

"My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. The Geth aren't from the 'unknown', as you put it. They have been isolated behind the Perseus Veil, yes, but my people did live and colonize a large portion of it," Tali crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one foot. "There are maps."

Grinning, Joker chuckled holding up his hands. "You win! You win! I was really just going for the dramatic. Ya know, sprinkling a little fairy dust."

Uncrossing her arms, Tali straightened. "My translator didn't catch that. Fairy dust?" Her head tilted slightly as she looked to John.

"Hmm?" John muttered. His thoughts had drifted a moment. He noticed, when Tali had shifted, her hip had thrown out slightly, and he found himself looking at it. _Pull your head out of your ass, Shepard,_ he admonished himself. _The girl has been through enough without you being a creep._

"Fairy dust," Joker supplied, raising an eyebrow at Shepard, pulling Tali's attention back to himself. "Is reference to a mythological creature, a fairy. The supposedly made this dust that could make you see things better, or fancier than they really are. Mostly so they could like take pictures of some moron trying to swim naked in a public fountain thinking it was an isolated lagoon or something."

"Ha ha!" Tali laughed, nodding. John noticed it was a clear, happy laugh. The first he had heard from her. He quite liked it, and make a mental note to give her more opportunities to do it. From what he had seen and the rumors he had heard, Quarians had it rather bad in the Galactic community. "Well, then Mr…" Tali tilted her head looking at Joker again.

"Flight Lieutenant Jefferson Moreau," John said, his brain finally catching up to speed. It had been a hell of a day. "He thinks he is a funny guy. Emphasis on thinks. So we just call him Joker. Seems to make him feel better."

Tali laughed again lightly as she shook her head again. "You people are so weird!"

"Hear that, Commander? You are so weird!" Joker said, smirking at John. "And lerpy."

"Didn't catch that one either," Tali said looking between Shepard and Joker.

"WELL!" John said loudly, clapping his hands together. "This is Garrus Vakarian, From C-Sec…"

"Formerly, of C-Sec, actually Shepard," Garrus said. His mandibles moved back and forth slightly as he bit down the urge to laugh at Shepard, himself.

Frowning, John turned to the Turian. "Really? I didn't mean to take you away from your work…"

"Don't worry about it Shepard," Garrus said, waving his hand at the human. "I was getting frustrated with all the red tape and bureaucracy anyway."

"And I see you brought the Krogan that ate all the others," Joker said, looking Wrex up and down.

John's eyes widened as his head snapped around to the massive Krogan. He hoped he could smooth this out before Wrex went on a rampage. But his worries were unneeded.

Wrex laughed, a deep bellowing laugh. "I like you, human," he chuckled to Joker. "I need to remember that one for later."

"Yes...well…" John sighed. With the day he'd had, he really did not need that stress. "His name is Urdnot Wrex."

"Well, charmed to meet you all and what have you," Joker shrugged and turned back to Shepard. "You're the boss now, Commander, what's the plan?"

Sighing, John ran a hand through his hair, ending with rubbing the back of his neck. "Take us out, then Joker. We need to set a course for Therum. It's in the Artemis Tau Cluster."

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy, Engineering

"This is the Tantalus Drive core," Chief Engineer Adams said, as he led Tali and Commander Shepard into the engine room, proper.

"How...how did you get a core that big, into such a compact vessel?" Tali asked, her eyes were wide as she stared at it. She was mesmerized by the quiet thrumming it gave off. It wasn't loud, not like any of the engine cores on the Flotilla ships she had been on. _None_ of them had been this quiet. But only the largest gave off the feeling of such power.

The human, Adams began laughing at her, and she snapped her helmet around, frowning at him. She was about to make a sarcastic comment, a kind of self defense. It was probably going to be lame. And probably get her kicked off the ship. _Just take it, Tali,_ she berated herself. _It's nothing that hasn't happened to you a hundred times since you left the Fleet…_

But then, she realized he wasn't laughing at her. He was just laughing. He laughed...warmly. There was no mocking in it at all. He simply seemed pleased at her interest in his ship. A ship he clearly prized very much, and was quite proud of.

Tali glanced at Shepard, and saw him looking at her. He was also smiling, his smile seemed warm, but in a different way. She couldn't quite put her finger on the expression, but it made her feel good.

She _liked_ Shepard. Well, not _liked_ , liked, but just, liked him. He never, even once, hinted that he was displeased with her. He saved her in the alley. He asked for her help, asked her for the data, politely. He didn't make a demand. He didn't talk down to her. _Hell, he even said please,_ she thought.

And now, not only did he bring her onto his ship to assist him in a mission of great importance, he was giving her access to his ship. The entire ship. This ship that was still supposed to be a secret from the general public.

She was allowed in the engineering, of this amazing ship. They let her look at the specs, diagrams, everything. This was some technology she had never even heard of, let alone, seen.

Adams nodded, and turned to her, as she turned quickly to look back at him, hoping he didn't notice her staring at Shepard.

"Well, Miss Zorah. If you would like, feel free to look around," Adams told her, then gestured behind her. "If you would like, you can use that work station. Ask myself, or any of the engineers that are free, questions if you have them."

Tali closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. She could not _possibly_ have heard correctly. Opening her eyes she looked between the two men. "Re-really? You don't mind?" both men just smiled and nodded to her.

Looking back at the drive core for a moment, she turned fully toward Engineers Adams and Commander Shepard. "I would love to help, _keelah_ to be able to even look at a system this advanced is more than I could have ever hoped for!"

Then she realized she was hopping slightly on her toes. She did that when she got too excited. She forced herself to settle as she realized she had just made herself look like a child in front of her new Captain and chief engineer.

And now she was wringing her hands together at her waist. She did that when she got nervous. She either did that, or babbled. And right now, she did _not_ want to say anything, because she was sure she would start babbling, then she would come across like a foolish little girl. Then they would kick her off the ship at the next port. She might annoy them so much they would go out of their way to drop her off, oh _keelah,_ they hated her, she knew it…..

Then Shepard reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. Her hands stopped wringing, her mind stopped yelling insults at her. Quarians were not, as a species, very physical. Touch was intimate for a people trapped in exo suits the way they were. Being crowded together in the ships of the Fleet, you couldn't get away from the bumping, jostling and knocking of each other. But, it made intentional contact that much more intimate. It wasn't something one did with a casual acquaintance, let alone somebody you had met mere hours earlier.

But...from Shepard, she didn't mind so much. For some reason it was...calming. She looked at him, and saw him looking back at her. She looked directly into his eye. He looked directly into her's. He looked at _her_. He didn't look at the suit. He didn't look at her helmet, or her visor. He looked at _her_!

Tali felt her eyes widen as a smile spread across her face. She knew he couldn't see it, but she smiled anyway. After a moment she realized she hadn't smiled like this since she could remember. Maybe since before her mother died….

Adams cleared his throat.

Shepard, dropped his hand and stepped back quickly. "Um, yeah, feel free to pitch in around here," he said, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. It was so interesting how humans did that! Quarians did that too! "If you have any ideas or suggestions, don't hesitate to tell either Adams or myself," he continued. "Another species point of view never hurts."

Tali nodded happily. "Of course Commander!"

* * *

Wrex, SSV Normandy, Main Cargo Bay

"...And this is the main cargo bay, over there is the Mako…" The human, Shepard was saying, but Wrex cut him off with a huff, tossing his kit in a corner.

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine, I know the drill," Wrex said, dusting his hands off as he looked around. If he shifted a couple of the crates around, he could make a nice little bunker to rest in. Better than he got in most jobs, really. The only thing he wondered at this point was if they were going to toss him rations or if he would need to live off his hump for a few days before they stopped off in a port long enough to pick up his own.

"Uh, what?" Shepard sounded confused. Wrex turned and look at him expectantly. What else did the human want? Did he pick the wrong corner or something?

"What do you mean, what?" Wrex asked, pulling himself up to his full height. It was barely a blink of his eye that humans were even in the galactic scene, but, they were generally self serving ass holes, just like everybody else. It was a kind of relief actually. He would feel bad for some poor sucker species that was altruistic.

Shepard frowned slightly as he looked at Wrex's kit. _Seriously? Is he one of the ones that expects me to be carrying seven severed heads in his kit bag?_ Wrex's eyes narrowed slightly. It was the Krogan version of frowning, seeing as how they didn't have much forehead under their head plate.

"Oh, well," Shepard started, his face cleared and he went back to looking confused. _Okay, here comes the bullshit,_ Wrex thought. "I figured you could store your kit there," Wrex looked over as Shepard gestured to the troop lockers.

 _Ah, I get it,_ Wrex nodded with approval. _Keep the deck as clean as possible. That was reasonable. Kinda surprised he would have a combat locker for me though. Might not be able to fit much into it, but still… Not a bad gesture._

"Alright," Shepard said, clapping Wrex on the shoulder. The Krogan looked down at the hand then back to the human, a slight smirk growing. _Braver human than most._ "Now that you have a place for your gear. We need to find you a bunk…" Shepard trailed off, he looked down as he rubbed his chin in thought. _What?_

Wrex was, honestly confused now. The human was trying to find him a bunk? Wait...the human, no, Shepard, didn't actually expect him to sleep in the cargo bay? Okay, that was damn straight funny.

"Ha ha!," Wrex laughed clapping Shepard on the back. He laughed again as the human stumbled forward a step. "You know what, human? You're alright."

"I am?" Shepard asked. He seemed even more confused than before. Okay… Now Wrex began to feel bad for the guy. _Is he serious?_ Wrex thought, his mind jumping through variations of this scenario that had played out for hum in the past...well...in his very long life. _Oh, boy. The galaxy is going to fuck this guy over hard. Guess I'll keep an eye on him. At least until he gets to be an issue._

Wrex nodded to Shepard. "You are. I guess you haven't dealt with Krogan much." Shepard shook his head and Wrex nodded. "Thought not. I'm rather large. Krogan tend to be that way. No way I'll fit in any of your hyman bunks or those cot things I have seen other humans use in the field. But I don't need them anyway. Krogan don't sleep nearly as much as you humans or Asari, or even Turians. Quarians don't sleep as much as all you guys either, but then, other than the suit thing, they are tougher than a lot of you squishies."

He looked down at Shepard. _Really? Nothing? No indignation? No insult about being told he wasn't as tough as a Quarian?_

But Shepard nodded again looking thoughtful. "Yeah, Tali seemed pretty tough. She's been through a lot. Was shot a couple days ago but kept going. Saved my ass when I was trying to save her's. Even _with_ medi-gel, that's damn impressive. I know quite a few Marines that could stand to learn some from her."

Wrex just stared at the human incredulously. "Uh, yeah," Wrex got out. "Anyway. I was saying we don't need sleep nearly as much as you do, we also don't really need all that soft shit all you other species seem to love. Our plates keep us good and comfortable." He was a bit relieved when Shepard nodded in understanding. Good, He learned quick. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad then. "So, when I want to sleep, I'll just nest down here in the corner. Gonna move those crates there," Wrex gestured. "Gonna put them here, and here," he pointed to the spots in the corner that would make a small square in the center, with a small outlet between them to move in and out.

"Huh, alright Wrex," Shepard nodded. "If that's what you want, go for it. If you do decide you want anything, pillow, blanket, whatever. Let me know."

Wrex grunted. "Sure, sure. Let me know if I need to pick up my own rations or were you want to put whatever you feel like giving me. Krogan can eat pretty much anything that was bio matter."

Shepard looked concerned now. _Okay, now the human was beginning to get annoying. There was a limit to how much of an nice guy you tried to be before you become a moron…"_

"Wrex," Shepard laid another hand on Wrex's shoulder. "The mess is a deck up. Standard meal times are, 0700, 1200, and 2000 hours." Shepard actually patted his shoulder now. "Between that time, you're on your own. Poke through what you can find, take what you want. Just…" Shepard smiled. It was kinda disconcerting. He had seen Shepard shoot another man's face off. This 'kind' bit was...weird. "Just, stay out of my Blast'Ohs."

"Alright…" Wrex said slowly. "Okay, What's your angle here Shepard?" He broke down. He had to ask, it was getting down right uncomfortable.

Shaking his head Shepard looked like he had a revelation. "Okay, see," he said. "You are my crew. You are part of my ground team, and I intend to treat you with the same respect I give all my crew members. I don't care what species you belong to."

Wrex grunted again as he locked Shepard with on of his red eyes. He looked hard at the human, trying to see what Shepard was hiding. But he couldn't see anything. "Fine. You might want to stock up then. Krogan can eat a lot."

"Heh, sure thing Wrex," Shepard laughed.

Grinning Wrex turned away and took a few steps before pausing and glancing back. "Oh, and no promises about the Blast'ohs."

* * *

Garrus, SSV Normandy, Mess Hall

"...And this is Dr. Chakwas, the ship's Medical Officer." Shepard introduced the woman to Garrus.

As she extended her hand for him to shake it, Garrus looked her over quickly. His eye piece helped. It gave him more data than he knew off the top of his head without having to open his omnitool.

Chakwas, human, that much was obvious. Also, that she was female of the species. There was a rather significant difference between the genders of the species, Garrus noted to himself. Males seemed to have a significant upper body increase over females. He thought that was a bit weird. _Well, I hear they evolved from primates, so what do I know?_

However this one, Chakwas seemed to be noticeably older than Shepard, or the rest of the crew. Not that it seemed to slow her any. He wasn't exactly up on his human biology, but the woman had steel colored hair, and seemed thin, but also strong. She had a wise look about her. It made Garrus feel rather comfortable with her.

As he shook her hand he nodded to her. "I am pleased to meet you ma'am. I'm sorry, but I am not sure how humans rank medical officers."

Chakwas laughed a throaty sound. "Oh, well, technically, in the Alliance Navy I rank as a Commander, like Shepard here. But as Chief Medical Officer, I also stand out of line of command authority," she explained. "A great many people would have to be casualties before I would be forced to start making command decisions. And by then, we would be pretty well screwed."

"I see," Garrus laughed. "The Turian military, is similar, I believe. Docere have a ranking system of their own as well."

Waving him off, Chakwas shook her head. "It's not quite like that," she said. _Wait, she knows what I am talking about?_ "Yes, I know about Turian rankings. Alliance doctors are not completely out of the ranking systems, we just have duties that exempt us from some of the more standard chores."

 _Wait, how did she know all that?_ Garrus thought to himself.

"I like to make sure I know how to treat all the personnel under my care," Chakwas said, clasping her hands behind her back.

Garrus's eyes widened slightly. _That was twice! Can she read my mind?_

"No, I can't read your mind, Garrus," She reassured him.

Now Garrus narrowed his eyes, his mandibles flattening tight to his face. _Okay, human, how are you doing that then?!_

"Your train of thought is relatively easy to read, Garrus," Chakwas said, smirking at him. "It also helps that you mutter to yourself."

Behind her, Shepard began laughing as Garrus's mandibles flared in embarrassment. "Oh, come _on_ …."

* * *

Ashley, SSV Normandy, Mess

"...Oh, come _on…"_ The Turian, Garrus, she reminded herself, seemed to be having a good time with the Commander and Doctor. Looking down at her food, Ashley just pushed it around a bit, instead of eating it.

Three aliens now. A Turian, wasn't quite so bad. The ship was half built by the Hierarchy. Besides, she'd decided to like Turians, after the whole Shanxi situation. But the Krogan. That was a bit of a stretch. Sure, he was handy in the Fist thing, and the alley fight. But he did his thing. Shepard should have just paid the mercenary and sent him on his way, not bring him on the ship.

The Quarian though. That was _clearly_ a charity case. Shepard felt sorry for the girl, after all, she did just get sucked into this Saren mess by accident. _Seriously, though, everybody knew Quarians were liars and thieves. It was their fault the Geth even existed to be a problem now!_

Ashley's face reddened a little at the indignity of it. Her hand clenched around the spoon so tightly she felt it bend a little.

 _It's fine,_ she thought, calming herself. _It's nothing._ She just had to keep an eye on them, until Shepard got tired of humoring them, and kicked them off the ship. _I especially need to watch the Quarian. Make sure she doesn't take the silverware…._

Docere- Turian military medical officers. They do not follow standard turian military ranking protocols, having there own progression. It keeps a clear line between standard military personnel and the docere, so that there duties and ranks don't clash.


	6. CH6 Therum

John, SSV Normandy, Cargo Deck, Mako

"Buckle up, ladies and gentleman," Shepard called to the back of the armored transport.

"You seem to be in a good mood Shepard," Garrus said, amusement evident in his subharmonics.

I am," John confirmed. "I haven't done a Mako combat drop in a while." He couldn't keep the smile off his face as he strapped into his five point harness.

John glanced over his shoulder to look at the Turian. "Hey, Garrus, why don't you take the gunner's seat there, in the turret."

Looking pleased Garrus nodded. "That sound good, Shepard. I'll get a better view of the surroundings that way."

As he watched Garrus hook the straps from the gunner's chair over his armor, he noticed a dirty look flash over Ashley's face. She was clearly annoyed. _Guess she wanted to work the cannon_ , he thought.

Kaiden dropped into the copilot seat and began to strap in as Shepard looked over. "Done any of these drops?" he asked.

"I have not," Kaiden said, shaking his head. "I hear they can be a bit scarey though."

Waving off Kaiden's worry Shepard glanced behind himself, into the troop compartment, looking to see if anybody needed help with the harness.

 _Well, I didn't expect the straps to work quite like that on a Krogan. Wonder if they will hold him_ Shepard mused as he looked at Wrex.

The Krogan was taking up two human seats, and had hooked an arm through one set of straps from either seat. Nodding satisfied with himself, Wrex looked up. "Shepard."

"Wrex."

"Umm…" Tali sounded off. "I am not sure I have this right…"

Slipping out his own harness, Shepard moved to Tali kneeling in front of her. "Wow, no, that's not right at all!" he said to her, laughing quietly.

Tali fidgeted, probably in embarrassment.

 _Good work Shepard,_ he berated himself, _make her uncomfortable!_

"Don't worry," he said, trying to put her at ease. "Who ever cleaned this out last didn't set up the seats properly last time. The harness is all twisted up."

Reaching around her, Shepard untwisted the straps of the harness and brought them around to the front.

He patted her knee lightly as he stood and worked his way back to the driver compartment. _Was Ashley upset again?_ He shook the thought away. He was jumping at shadows.

As John strapped back into his seat, he pulled the harness as tight as it would go. "Pull 'em tight, people. And be sure to stow any and every bit of gear."

As he spoke, the cargo bay door lowered, and the team could see Therum out the front window. It seemed like a rocky, grey mountainous world. At least that is what the part they happened to be over was anyway.

With a communal shrug the team settled back to wait for the Normandy to lower and come to a stop, as Shepard turned over the engine. The Mako's engine roaring to life.

Shepard revved the engine a couple times to get the feel of her before tilting his head to one side, popping his neck. "Ready?" Shepard called back to the crew.

They looked at each other in confusion. The Normandy was going down, but not nearly fast enough to be get to a dropping height within the next ten minutes.

But as Shepard revved the engine a couple of times the team began to worry. No. There was no way….

The ground combat team of the Normandy, millennium old Krogan, two Alliance Marines, A experienced Turian C-Sec officer, and the young Quarian stared in horror as Shepard kicked the Mako into gear.

"Here we go!" John cried out as he floored the accelerator. All six wheels of the Mako spun in place for a moment, raising a small smoke cloud, the tank pulling slightly sideways before they caught and launched the whole thing into the open air.

Caught off guard, the entire team was quiet as they felt the world drop out from underneath them. Slowly the Mako rolled nose down, then back down, then rear down, the back to wheels down.

That's when Kaiden screamed. He scream like a small child with a skinned knee. John looked over at him, so surprised, he forgot to hit the thrusters to cancel out the forward roll, until they completed the second revolution.

Then the screaming, yelling and prayers started. It was Ashley who started chanting the Lord's Prayer fervently. _Huh,_ he thought, _didn't know she was religious._

Garrus yelled. Like, a lot. He didn't use any words, he just yelled in fear, his mandibles and eyes as wide as they could get.

Tali's hands squeezed into her harness, so hard, that John was sure, if she wasn't in the suit, her knuckles would be white. _Well, there is a thought. Depending on her skin color, it might not be white knuckling…_ She was, however saying a lot of things. A great many of them not picked up by the translator.

It was Wrex that surprised him the most. Of any of them, he expected the Krogan battlemaster to be the one to be an old hat at this kind of drop. Instead he just said, "AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHH!"

John shook his head as hit hit the retro thrusters fifty feet above the ground, pressing the team hard down into their seats, as the Mako bled speed so hard the entire vehicle shook like it was going to break apart.

As the tank hit the ground, Shepard slammed down the accelerator again, bleeding the last of the fall energy into forward momentum. He pulled hard to the right as the Mako skidded to a halt, rocking gently on it's shocks for a moment before becoming still.

With a nod, John turned in his seat to look back at the ground team, a smile on his face. "So!" he exclaimed jovially. "How did you like your first combat drop? It was your first run, so I gave you guys an extra twenty feet of thruster burn before we touched down!"

The team was silent. They all just sat staring straight ahead of themselves. They all had giant wide eyes. From Kaiden's brown, to Wrex's red.

Almost as one they all rotated their necks to look at Shepard.

Then, the yelling began.

* * *

Garrus, Therum, Mako

He was beginning to get a feel for Shepard's driving. Well, sort of. No living being could really _get a feel_ for it. And judging how the Geth were reacting, they couldn't handle it either.

Targeting a pair of Geth Juggernauts, Garruss unloaded the tanks minigun, the stream of rounds ripping through the machine's armor, and throwing pieces to the ground.

As Shepard turned abruptly to the left, the minigun went wild, again, firing off into the distance.

"Hey, Shepard, do you think you could _try_ to keep your eyes open while you drive this thing? It's fairly tough, but come on," Garrus taunted.

Shepard, however, actually turned around in his seat. Keeping one hand on the steering controls, he put his other arm over the back of his seat. "Really, Garrus? I think you are just not as good a shot as you seem to think you are!"

"SHEPARD!" Kaiden yelled, placing one foot on the dash of the copilot's seat. Both his hands white-knuckled the safety handle over the door of the Mako. As he yelled, he started pushing with his feet on the dash, raising himself up as if he had his own break.

"What?" Shepard said, glancing at Kaiden. Not, Garrus noted, with horror, out the front window.

Before Kaiden could answer, there was a loud bang and a thump as a Geth was slammed into, it's body flying up and over the Mako, as two other platforms were ground under the six wheels of the tank.

Tali let out a moan, as Shepard turned back to facing front. "I thought you were hardened combat veterans," Shepard muttered to himself.

"Yeah," Garrus heard Wrex call from the back. Even his voice was a little shaky. "We are, but we didn't expect to be commanded by a psychopath."

Garrus chuckled, "I gotta agree with Wrex here, boss. I am pretty sure Ashley has gone into a coma!" He was almost not kidding. The human woman hadn't made a sound in the last ten minutes or so. _Maybe she is actually dead. He wouldn't mourn her, really. Her views on aliens in general were pretty clear._

Well, now is not the time for that particular line of thought.

Slapping his face a couple of times Garrus went back to focusing on the gun. The way Shepard ran the Mako, it would take all his concentration to hit the Armature coming up over the rise.

Armature!?

* * *

Doctor Liara T'Soni, Therum, Prothean Ruins, Prothean Security Device

 _Welli, you are alive_ , Liara thought to herself. _Neither the Geth nor the Krogan can get to you. Of course, you can't get out of this energy bubble either…_

The Asari cursed herself as she lost count of the pebbles on the little ledge to her right. The ledge on her left had eight hundred and seventy nine. But the one on the right looks bigger.

* * *

John, Therum, Mako

A ball of plasma impacted into the face of a boulder to the Mako's right. The impact itself sent cracks running deep all over the stone, while the heat melted a crater, nearly all the way through it.

And John loved it. He was in his element here. It was ground combat like this that truly got him going. His sister might have a thing for impersonal long ranges of fleet combat, but not John. John needed to do this himself.

While eyeing the rear facing monitor, John drove the Mako backwards at high speed, dodging more plasma balls.

As they fell in a line before him, he turned the Mako hard, spinning the vehicle around, as a plasma round passed through the space the rear of the tank had, a mere moment ago, occupied.

Surging forward again, John brought them over the rise and out of the line of fire. Pulling to a stop, John reached over and slapped Kaiden on the arm. "Hell of a ride, huh?" he laughed.

Kaiden just stared at him for a moment. His eyes had a kind of wild look to them as they stared. "Where did you get your qualification," Kaiden managed to croak out.

John waved a hand at the biotic. "Bah, never got an official qualification. For one reason or another I never managed to get the nomination from higher up. Not sure why."

"BECAUSE YOU DRIVE LIKE A FUCKING MANIAC!" came the scream from the back troop area. Ah, Ashley _was_ awake.

John turned in his seat to look back at the rest of the team. "Aww, Ash, calm down, no need to be so dramatic." He shook his head sadly. "You sound like Captain Anderson a bit there."

From the far back Wrex chuckled. "You certainly have quad, Shepard. Going up and over a nearly vertical mountain and dropping _into_ the geth fortification was an, um...unusual tactic."

Grinning John nodded. "I figured they would have that avenue guarded."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU LITERALLY WENT UP A SHEER MOUNTAIN CLIFF! NOBODY DOES THAT!" Ashley yelled again, before dropping limp in her harness, whimpering softly.

"While the tactic was...inspired…" Garrus started. "I am kinda with Ash on this one, Boss. You are an insane driver."

John could not believe what he was hearing. His entire crew was turning on him! "Guys, I'm hurt. Crushed even. Nobody is injured, we are killing the bad guys. It's all good. Right, Tali?" He asked his last line of defense. He knew she would get it.

Tali, herself, however was tapping out something on her omnitool. "I am getting our shields back online," she said, moving to open a small maintenance hatch. "I am going to add some omni gel to the middle right wheel's gear exchanger, it has a spiderweb of hairline cracks, might become a problem later."

"Um...Tali?"

"Carbon scoring on the armor, not significant, but will need some work when we get back to the Normandy."

"Tali, hey…"

"Weapon systems are fairly decent, no real damage there. We should be good to go," she said clinically, still not giving any indication she had heard Shepard, she returned to her seat and strapped herself back into harness, pulling the straps as tight as she could make them

Looking over at John for the first time she shook her head. "No, Commander. I am beginning to think you are a deep cover operative sent to lead us all to our deaths.

John turned back around into his seat and sighed heavily. "You people have no confidence in me," he muttered as he shifted the tank back into gear.

"Okay Garrus, this is how we go. I am going to pop us over the rise, and charge the Armatures. They won't be able to focus their shots effectively that way. I want you to unload all you got into the Armature on the right. Keep both guns on him, no matter what."

"Can do, Boss," Garrus nodded, arming back up the Mako's heavy cannon. This plan _actually_ seemed to not be suicidal. "What about the other one?"

Flooring the accelerator, the Mako shot over the rise, arcing through the air. Garrus had begun firing the minigun the moment the Armatures came into sight, even popping off a couple shots from the cannon.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Garrus," Shepard grinned. If anybody else saw it, they would be frightened by how much it looked like both his mother's and his sibling's. "I got the other one."

Tali whimpered again as Shepard pointed the front of the Mako squarely at the other Armature.

* * *

Liara, Therum, Prothean Ruins

"...I have not talked to my mother in years," Liara frowned. "Why? Has something happened to her? Is she alright?"

The human that seemed to be in charge of the group turned to look back at his team. They either shook their head or shrugged. The Quarian looked down and turned to begin examining the Prothean machinery that kept Liara trapped.

Turning back to her, the human took off his helmet. The was a good looking man. Short blonde hair, deep blue eyes. He had a strength about him that Liara found attractive. _This is a poor time for THAT_ , Liara admonished herself.

As he approached the energy barrier, the human introduced himself. "I'm Commander John Shepard. I am a Council Spectre."

Liara's eyes widened. "I...I was unaware that humanity had a Spectre," she said. "Oh! No offense."

Shepard chuckled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's been just over a week, and this is a bit of an out of the way place."

"Wait, why is a Council Spectre interested in my mother? Matriarch Benezia has been a well thought of Matriarch, with a strong following on Thessia," Liara was worried, and couldn't keep that worry out of her voice.

Reaching up, Shepard rubbed the back of his neck as he seemed to think for a moment. When her seemed to have gathered his thoughts he looked up, into her eyes.

"How well does your mother know another Spectre, Saren?" he asked.

"I...I don't have any idea. I know she has given advice to many Spectres over the centuries. But I don't know anything specific," Liara was growing more and more worried. "Why? What's going on? Did he do something to my mother?"

"Alright, Saren is a Spectre that has gone rogue, he has been stripped of his status and is being sought actively by the Council. It is my mission to bring him in…" Shepard began, before the female human cut him off.

"Commander, are you sure it's a good idea to tell her everything? We don't know if she really isn't working with them."

Shepard looked at the woman then back to Liara. He looked her in the eyes for a moment. She could almost feel him in her mind as she caught herself in his eyes. _So...blue...like the sky on Thessia…_

"It's fine Ash. The Geth wouldn't be here trying to get to Liara if she was with them," Shepard seemed to have decided.

"Shepard," Lira spoke. Her voice was thick in her own throat. "Did Saren do something to my mother? Please, just tell me!" A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Shaking his head, Shepard seemed almost...sad. "I am afraid not. It seems your mother, Matriarch Benezia is working with Saren. They had activated a Prothean beacon on the human colony of Eden Prime. We currently don't know what their plans are, but they have the Geth on their side"

"No. Mother wouldn't do that. She is kind, wise, she must be trying to stop him...I don't...I…" Liara lapsed into silence as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them she had gathered herself together again.

"Get me out of here, Shepard. I want to help you, help my mother."

Shepard nodded, and turned to the giant laser drill, activating his omnitool. "Tali, c'mere. I have an idea about this thing, and I need another opinion."

Walking to join Shepard, the Quarian began to talk.

Wrex, Therum, Collapsing Prothean Ruins.

"I have to hand it to you Shepard, you certainly aren't boring!" Wrex yelled a few steps behind the human as they pounded up the tunnel, trying to reach the safety of the surface before the whole Prothean complex came down on their heads.

Shepard laughed over his shoulder. "Well, I have to think about the mental well being of my crew after all!"

As they came into the wide cave opening, they saw a massive Krogan standing in their path, surrounded by several Geth of various designs. Massive. But not as big as Wrex.

"Slarr," Wrex said flatly, as his team skidded to a stop.

"Give us the Asari, and we will kill you all quickly," the other Krogan, Slarr called out.

"Seriously?" Shepard yelled back. "You want to fight here? The whole place is coming down around us!"

Slarr laughed as he turned around slowly. "Yes! Isn't it…" as he came back around to look at them he pulled his shotgun out, extending it. "Thrilling?"

Wrex stepped up next to Shepard, his own shotgun in hand. "If you want to die, Slarr, feel free to stand there," he growled. "I am curious how stupid you would look with your own foot in your mouth."

"Wrex!" Slarr snarled, as if seeing Wrex in the group for the first time. "I rescind my offer. You all shall die painfully. The Quarian should be the most fun." Slarr's tongue slid across his teeth as her looked at Tali. "I am looking forward to enjoying her myself!"

Stepping forward, Wrex was about to speak when he heard a snarl from beside him. Turning, he saw Shepard, a look of something...primal, on his face. He had lost his helmet someplace along the desperate run out of the lower caverns, so Wrex could clearly see the rage boiling inside the Commander.

Humans in were weak and soft, generally. They sought to control their emotions and fight with their heads. Shepard here, however, was beyond that point. His teeth showed as his lips pulled back in a snarl, his eyes focused on Slarr with a predatory focus. All in all, Wrex approved.

A blue corona erupted around Shepard. It wasn't the tight, controlled biotics that the Commander usually wielded. This was wild and rippling. As Wrex blinked, Shepard shot forward, a blue streak, directly toward Slarr.

The other Krogan seemed even more surprised by the attack, as Shepard drove his shoulder into his armored gut. He even pushed Slarr back several feet, slamming him into a boulder.

Shepard reared back and began to slam his fist over and over into Slarr's head plate, orange blood slashing from the Krogan's nose as he staggered.

After a moment, however, Slarr got his feet under himself again and grabbed the human by the breast plate, with a heave he threw Shepard off of himself and into a Geth to his side. "Destroy them! Kill them all. I no longer care about Saren's desire for the Asari girl!"

As he yelled, Slarr pulled his shotgun up, preparing to fire on the human's team when it was ripped from his hands, another biotic pull, this time, though, from Wrex.

Slarr was not caught by surprise this time and set himself to accept the bone jarring impact of the mass that was the Krogan Battlemaster.

As they two monster grappled Slarr sneered. "You have become weak, old man! Working for these pitiful creatures! Saren will make us strong!"

Wrex reared back and slammed his head forward, impacting in Slarr's headplate. He felt a satisfying crunch as Slarr staggered under the blow. Stepping in Wrex grabbed the other Krogan and slammed his head into the other's again.

Slarr desperately launched himself forward into Wrex, grappling the larger Krogan, and biting at his neck.

Pushing the wounded Slarr back, Wrex reared back once more and drove his plate into the wounded Krogan's face for a final time.

Slarr's plate buckled under the impact, cracking down the middle, as orange blood spurted from the wound, as he unceremoniously collapsed to the ground.

Tali, Therum, Colapsing Prothean Ruins

When the Krogan, Slarr, threatened her directly, Tali felt a chill run down her spine, as she unconsciously moved to stand behind Shepard.

But then she heard him snarl. It was something primal that startled her. She jumped back as the blue glow snapped up around Shepard. Then he was gone.

In confusion, she looked up, her eyes following the blue streak as it impacted Slarr. She watched as Shepard rained blows on the Krogan drawing blood. Then gasped as he was tossed away, into a nearby group of Geth.

"NO!" she heard herself yell, as her shotgun opened up into her hands as she charged forward, running toward were Shepard had landed.

From behind her, the other members of the team opened up on the Geth as well, assault rifle rounds ripping into the machines.

The pounding of feet behind her barely registered in Tali's mind as she fired shot after shot into the Geth, staggering them, blowing apart their shields and into their armor.

It wasn't until a Juggernaught stepped in front of her that her reckless charge was stopped. She looked up at the platform " _Det Kazuat!"_ she snarled, dumping shotgun rounds into it's shields.

As the Juggernaut raised it large weapon to aim at Tali, Garrus's blue armored body slammed into from the side. His assault rifle point blank and jammed into the joint where the Geth's arm joined into the body. As he began to open up into the machine, sparks ad smoke began to billow out of it.

"Get to Shepard!" Garrus yelled to her.

Nodding, Tali darted around the machine toward where Shepard stood. In one of his hands was his heavy pistol, and in his other was his shotgun. As he fired the shotgun a small biotic glow lit up the gun arm, absorbing the recoil of the large bore weapon. Each shot then ripping open shields or armor, which he then fired round from his pistol into, dropping the machines methodically.

To her eyes, Tali thought Shepard looked like some vengeful god of war. Until she noticed the blood. It ran from his nose, dripping to his dented chest plate, leaving small red streaks. But more worrisome was the holes in his armor were Geth weapons had pierced it.

With a growl of her own, Tali ran to him, pushing her back against his, and firing shots at the Geth that threatened him from behind.

Then Garrus joined them, turning his back to them, as they naturally formed a triangle. Together the Geth fell quickly, their parts smoking, scattered around the cavern.

Her breaths came in ragged gasps as Tali looked around. Seeing no more threats, she turned to Shepard, who stood tall before her, a scowl on his face, as he wiped the blood from his face.

"Shepard," she said. Her chest still heaving.

"Yeah?"

"Can we go now, you know, so we don't get crushed by the falling rocks?"

"Sure thing, Tali. Let's all get back to the Mako, and we can get out of here."

"Maybe I'll just hang out here," Garrus said, dryly. "I would feel safer.


	7. CH7 After Therum

John, SSV Normandy, Mess

Rubbing his temples, John sighed deeply. He had definitely overdone it on Therum. He pushed his biotics beyond his limit again. He knew if he kept it up he could give himself an aneurysm. Hestalia told him time and again. And he knew his stepfather was right. She usually was. It was a bit infuriating, really.

The problem was he wasn't sure why he did it. He didn't even mean to use his biotics to charge. He had only done it once before, when he was younger and immediately regretted it. It isn't an ability he really had enough juice to pull off. Well, at least not without hurting himself. But, he had been _so_ angry. Something about what the Krogan said, or how he said it, John didn't really know. But it just set something off in him. Something he hadn't really seen in himself since Mindoir.

 _Fuck it, John,_ he decided. _You have plenty of other things to deal with. Maybe finish this Saren crap before you blow your mind apart, hmm?_

With a quiet groan he picked up the small device he had been working on before the headache had gotten to him. The shield emitter had worked the time he had helped Tali in the alley, but he had been unable to get it to work again. He was missing something, he just didn't know what it was. Picking up one of the devices from his mini tool kit, he began to work open the housing of the device.

"Umm...Excuse me Commander?" a quiet voice interrupted. It was Liara. She likely had questions. The connection they had shared briefly had helped put some of the Prothean mess in his head into a bit of order, but it was still a confusing mass in his brain.

Without looking up, John motioned to the seat at the mess table opposite him. "What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to thank you for getting me out of that situation on Therum. I didn't really get a chance to, before the issue with the Prothean Beacon," her voice was cool, and smooth it _sounded_ intellectual.

"Well, I couldn't just let you hover like that," John shrugged. He popped the housing fully off his shield emitter and set it aside. "I mean, what if your nose started to itch?"

Liara put her hand over her mouth as she laughed lightly. She had a cute laugh. It was soft, like her voice, not quite a giggle. Very... _feminine._

"Yes," she agreed. "That probably would have been a fate worse than death."

John nodded as he continued to work. He probed some small circuitry. _Maybe there is a break someplace…._

"May I ask what you are working on?"

"Hmm?"

"The little thing that you have there?"

Glancing up, John blinked a couple of times. He kinda liked Liara's blue. I was kinda...periwinkle? Her facial markings reminded him of human freckles, and eyebrows. An odd combination, but he had seen stranger.

"You have a very subtle _simdai._ I think it's very nice," he said, with a slight nod.

Startled, Liara touched her face with the fingertips of her hand. "Oh! Thank you! Growing up, the other children made fun of them…"

John sighed and shook his head. "It's amazing how some things cross species barriers. Sadly sometimes it isn't the good things."

"That is very true, I mean….." Liara sat up straight as she realized what Shepard had said. "Wait, how did you know…"

Laughing, John sat back. "How did I know the Thessian word?"

"Yes," Liara nodded leaning forward.

John sat back and thought a moment before clearing his throat. " _I feel like I tell this story a lot,"_ he said in heavily accented Thessian. " _But my stepfather and younger sister are Asari. Growing up, it just seemed like the thing Jane, my twin sister, and I should do."_

As John spoke, Liara's eyes got wider and wider, until it looked like they would pop out of her head. "Shepard! That is amazing! How old were you when you started? You have a heavy accent, but the words are very clear!"

John looked up at the ceiling, tapping his circuit probe against his chin as he thought. "Well. It was after my little 'biotic incident'...so 13 or so?"

"Shepard! That is amazing for you to have learned it so young!" Laira stared at him with a look that seemed uncomfortably intense.

Shrugging, John turned back to his shield emitter. "Languages are something I am good at. I pick them up fairly easily. My sister is crap at them though." John chuckled as he thought about it. "Actually, I got biotics, the bit with languages. Jane can kick the shit out of pretty much anything with a pulse. And she has that weird thing she can do with tactics. It's creepy. Playing any kind of game with her is a nightmare."

Liara put her chin in her hand as she watched him. "Are you going to tell me about that thing you have there?"

Pausing in his work, he chuckled, "Sorry about that. I tend to go off topic and ramble." Switching tools, he set back to his task. "When I encountered the Geth on Eden Prime, they had these portable shield things they could place down and an energy barrier would pop up. I took a couple back with me and have been trying to reverse engineer them. This," he gestured with the device in his hands. "This is my prototype. It worked once when I used it to help Tali in a back alley in the Wards, on the Citadel. Haven't been able to get it to work again."

Laughing softly, Liara looked amazed again. "So you are an engineer too?"

"Well, yeah, I guess," John chuckled as well. "I was trained under the Alliance Sentinel program. I have a decent array of biotic abilities, thought I can thank Hestalia for that. And I always tinkered and modified things. Made the time I lived on ships with my mother...interesting."

Taken aback, Liara sat up straight. "Did you say Hestalia?"

Confused, John looked back at the Asari. "Yes," he said carefully. "Hestalia Say'tos. Well… Shepard now."

"Goddess…." Liara still had a startled expression. "Hestalia Say'tos. She was a famous Asari Huntress. At least back on Thessia. She helped start the Eclipse mercenary group."

"Huh." John said, going back to his work.

"That's all? Hesatlia Say'tos is your stepfather!" Liara stated, incredulous.

With a sigh, John set his emitter down and looked full into Liara's eyes. "Look, I know all about the mercenary stuff. She made sure we knew and understood. She and my mother hit it off on Omega, of all places, they had some fun together, and ended up married, and went to the Mindior colony. Then they sobered up. They decided to make a go of it, it went well, and they had my sister, Kelly. My mother is a ship captain, and travels a lot. Hestalia is a stay at home dad. I was sent to live with her when my biotics manifested on a ship and I was deemed too dangerous. Hestalia taught Jane and me how to fight, how to speak Thessian and she taught me how to control my biotics so I didn't kill myself. That, however, is it's own thing. Long story short, She was a father to me and Jane, who have no idea who our blood father is. If you want, later, I can tell you about when Aunty Jona Sederis would visit. That gets _weird._ " Turning slightly in his seat he spoke up, "Did you all get that?"

Embarrassed acknowledgments came from different places on the deck.

" _Keelah…_ "

"Yes, Skipper…."

* * *

Liara, SSV Normandy, Science Lab

Shepard was...fascinating. More than just the Prothean data in his head. That had certainly drawn her at first, but the man himself had a...depth to him. A soldier, a biotic, an engineer, linguist. So many facets.

He had saved her from that Prothean trap on Therum, now she needed to prove her worth. He took the chance to bring her with him, and she would make the most of it.

Liara sat at her terminal and thought for a moment, gathering her thoughts and mentally running through her resources. Her Prothean knowledge was among the best, but the Protheans as a people, culture or technology, was still limited. She had probably learned more from Shepard and the data he had in his head from the Beacon.

Her mother. That was probably the most important link she had at the moment. Liara might be able to find out where her mother moved her assets. Maybe track her followers. Maybe find somebody she had confided in. Her mouth soured briefly. Goddess knew her mother didn't confide in _her._

 _This is hardly time to feel sorry for yourself, Liara_ , she thought. Oddly in her mind she heard her mother's voice. _Stop thinking, and just_ do _it._

Sitting up straight in her chair, Liara began sending out messages to all the Matriarchs she knew, that might be willing to help. There weren't many at the moment. But it was a start.

Ashley, SSV Normandy, Armory

Cursing, Ashley turned Tali's shotgun over in her hands again. This thing was ancient, and a piece of shit. And it was stubborn. And pissing her off. "Mother rust bucket," she muttered to herself as she dropped the gun onto her workbench.

It wasn't the gun's fault. Not really. The gun was frustrating, but it was herself she was actually irritated at.

When she had heard Liara talking to Shepard, she froze in the stairway that lead from the CIC to the crew deck. Then she started eavesdropping. Shepard talked about his life some. He and that Asari had a bond that made her...not angry, but something in the line. Not only did they do that weird mind thing, but know Shepard had an Asari stepfather? An Asari sister? Did she really even count as a sister? How did that work?

Ashley ground her teeth as she thought angrily. They are completely different species. They can't be related. And who knows what they do to humans when they do that mind thing. Maybe they reprogram them or something. Shepard said his mother got married while drunk on Omega, of all places. She could have been brain hijacked then!

And then there is that Tali. She follows Shepard around like a puppy. Always staring at him. Talking about the Flotilla, or her stupid suit, or how people treated her badly. "Look at me, I'm a poor lost waif. Pity me," Ashley muttered under her breath. For the life of her, she didn't understand how Shepard put up with it. Or this stupid gun.

"You seem to be having a problem," rumbled the statement, from behind her. It definitely wasn't a question.

Turning around she saw Wrex looking over the side of the table, looking down at her. No, not her, at the gun in her hands. "That is an old AT-05. It's a precursor to the AT-12 Raider. Pretty old. Hundred fifty, two hundred years old."

Frowning Ashley looked up at the Krogan. "How could you possibly know how old it is?"

Wrex huffed a short laugh. "Because I remember when they left the market and the newer models came out. Well, the general area, anyway."

Ashley continued to frown at him. "All right, big stuff. I am having an issue getting to the heatsink and the firing pin." _Let's see him put his money where his mouth is_ , she thought to herself.

Saying nothing, the Krogan grabbed the shotgun out of Ashley's hands. He had moved so quickly, she barely registered his movement before he had it. That...was creepy. Nothing that big should be able to move so fast.

Looking the gun over, Wrex turned it in his hands, examining every nook and cranny. "Huh, old, but amazingly well maintained. I can see where they scavenged parts from other guns, but the work is almost seamless. Some upgrades as well. Not as good as current stuff. But good for a beginner," he nodded approvingly.

Then, collapsing the gun, he hit the stud to unfold the gun again. Just before the gun fully came together, Wrex grabbed the barrel and twisted it to the right. When he did it, the barrel popped free in his hand, and slid out of the assembly. "There you go. Old trick from field work. You should be able to get to the charge pin."

Turning, Wrex walked away before Ashley could speak. "Oh," he grunted. "The Quarian is made of sterner stuff than you give her credit for."

Ashley flushed red in a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "How did you-"

"Krogan have excellent senses."

* * *

Garrus, SSV Normandy, Under Mako

After the run across Therum's mountain tops, Garrus felt the need to check over the tank that had saved their lives from Shepard's attempts to kill them all. As he slid under the thing he patted it on the side. "That's a good tank," he said to it, in a sing song voice.

Pulling up his omnitool, he began scanning the undercarriage for and damage. He already knew both the main gun and minigun needed some work. And probably the front armor. And the front windshield. Maybe reinforce those, seeing as how Shepard seems to enjoy ramming things.

Noticing something stuck up in the right middle rear wheel housing he pulled it out. Well, he _tried_ to pull it out. Whatever the thing was, it was pretty damn stuck!

"Come on you _sterkre_ , you are beginning to piss me off," he growled at the object.

After a moment of pulling. The pushing. Then wiggling. The pulling again, Garrus was considering biting it. Or maybe shooting it… No, that would probably make Shepard mad. Better not shoot his tank.

Garrus brought up his omnitool and pinged the person he thought might have the best tool for the job.

 **Hey, T, you bring me a hammer or something in the cargo bay? -G**

After a minute of his growling and yanking, his omnitool pinged back.

 **Um, Yes. I will be down in a moment. -T**

Garrus smiled, his mandible flaring slightly.

 **Thanks, you're the best -G**

Moving along the under carriage, Garrus made note of particularly large ding, pulled a few good sized rocks out of places they had gotten wedged and patched a couple of good sized gouges.

 _Probably when we bounced off that wall during one of his '_ combat jumps' _from a cliff._

It sounded like Wrex was giving Ashley some kind of lecture. Must be weird to be talked down to by a Krogan. A Krogan that is actually probably smarter than most of the crew on this ship

After a few minutes Garrus heard footsteps approaching the Mako, then heard Tali's voice. "Garrus?" she asked, he could hear her confusion. "Garrus? Where are you?"

"Down here!" he yelled, shaking a foot out from under the Mako.

"Oh. Why are you under there and what would need a hammer?" she asked passing the tool underneath.

"Well!" *smack* "I found" *smack* "Something" *smack* "lodged in here.." *SMACK* *Crack* "...Hmm"

Silence reigned for a moment as Garrus pulled the object free.

"...What did you do, Vakarian," came Tali's voice. To Garrus's detective trained ear, he would determine it to be...Icey.

"Hey look!" he said cheerfully. "A Geth arm!" Garrus stuck the appendage out from under the tank and wiggled it. "Look! It wants to say 'Hi!' "

"Garrus. What. Did. You. Do?"

Tossing the Geth limb onto the deck, Garrus pulled his feet fully under the Mako's body. "Well," he started, his voice was sickeningly cheerful. " _Might_ , have crack something on the wheel assembly. This thing that _might_ be a crack, _could, possibly_ be leaking some sort of greenish blue fluid…"

"Come out from under the Mako, Garrus."

"Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Did I just hear your shotgun charge?"

"No, come out."

"No."

* * *

Simdai: referring to the facial marking, usually unique to each Asari. Not all Asari have the markings, some are more pronounced than others.

Sterkre- Turian for 'a piece of shit.'


	8. CH8 Return to Citadel

Jane, SSV Perugia

"Ma'am, we are cleared to dock with Citadel control."

Crossing her legs, Jane leaned back in her command seat. "Take us in, Lieutenant."

"Ma'am," Garcia nodded, his hands worked over the controls as the Alliance cruiser maneuvered around ships, pylons, and cargo haulers.

Slowly the ship came to rest in it's berthing station, magnetic clamps lowering to lock down, holding the ship fast.

Leaning over in her seat, Jane keyed the ship comm, "All hands, this is the Captain. We are docked at the Citadel, for restock and refit. See your section chiefs for shore leave rotations. For those of you that will be leaving us, fuck you, and get off my ship. That goes especially for you Chief Loranne Jo'sanni. I wish your wife and new daughter the best. You had best name her after me. Now get the fuck off my ship."

With a nod, Jane looked around the command deck. "Well, here we are boys and girls. The Citadel. Seat of intergalactic rule, law and commerce."

"How do you remember everybody like that, ma'am?" an ensign in the cyberware pit asked. Jane glanced over at the woman.

"What, like Chief Jo'sanni? Well she's a special case. She married an Asari, took her last name and now they are having a kid. Not hard to remember," Jane shrugged.

"Captain, who is on third watch in Science bay two?" Garcia asked suddenly.

"Petty Officer Taleda," Jane said, without a pause. "Why?"

Garcia chuckled and shook his head as he turned back to his console. "Because you remember _everything_ about _everybody_ on your ship."

Frowning, Jane leaned her head onto her hand. "Not true, Mr. Garcia. I don't recall you ever being funny."

Michaels, the co-pilot laughed, "No ma'am. I believe that is just you proving our point that you remember everything."

The command deck crew laughed as they began to secure their stations.

"Captain," a voice came from the communications pit. "I am being informed that Admiral Mikhailovich is on his way down. He intends to do an inspection."

Cursing, Jane ground her teeth rekeying the ship comm. "All hands, this is the Captain. Leave has been delayed. Move to battle stations, code A."

* * *

Jane, Citadel Docks

"And I am not pleased with your loose regard for uniform code enforcement," Admiral Mikhailovich lectured. "To say nothing about not reprimanding your crew members for fraternization with alien species. Though," he looked slightly up at Jane, but somehow in a condescending manner. "I suppose it runs in your family."

Jane stood on the dock in front of the Admiral. She was standing at rest, her feet even with her shoulders, her hands clasped behind her back. She did not look at the shorter man, but stared straight ahead.

"Sir, there are no regulations regarding relations with alien species, either romantic or physical. As such, it is beyond my purview to intervene," Jane said smoothly. "As to my family, sir, I can only say that we have served the Alliance with skill and dignity, to the best of our ability, despite what some other small minded people would say," Jane let her eyes fall upon the Admiral for the first time. "Sir."

Mikhailovich gnashed his teeth quietly, his hands tightening to fists. "I would watch who you call small minded, if I were you, Captain," he growled.

Returning her eyes straightforward, Jane allowed the faintest of smiles to touch her lips. "I would never dare to say who might be small minded in our chain of command. Sir."

"Harumph," Mikhailovich, harrumphed, and it was all Jane could do to keep a straight face. She had never, in her entire life, heard somebody literally harumph. "We will see how well your brother's ship fairs," the Admiral continued. "He and the Normandy are due in in two standard days. I expect for you to report to me and accompany me in the inspection of his ship. You are dismissed Captain."

"It would be odd if he got here before his ship…" Jane muttered under her breath as she turned to her own Perugia.

"What was that Captain?" Mikhailovich demanded.

"Have a good day, sir, I said," Jane returned innocently.

"Harumph."

* * *

To: Commander John Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Subject: Seeing you on the Citadel

I'll be here when you get here Jay Jay. I have a surprise for you at the docks when you get in. Try to be commanding.

Jane Shepard

Captain

SSV Perugia

PS Admiral Mikhailovich will be doing a surprise inspection on your ship. You are kind of dense, so I thought I would clarify.

* * *

John, SSV Normandy

Reading his sister's message, John ran his hands over his face and sighed. Mihailovich was known for his pro human rhetoric. He was no Terra Firma, anti alien bigot, at least. _He's still going to throw a fit when he seems my ground team_.

He eyed up his comm. "All hands, this is Commander Shepard. We will be docking at the Citadel in two days. I have been warned that Alliance Rear Admiral Mikhailovich will be doing a surprise inspection. I expect all of you to clean up your stations. And try to have a clean uniform. I'm talking to you Joker."

Tali, SSV Normandy

As Tali stepped out of engineering, the announcement came over the ship's comm, startling her out of her thoughts. She paused in front of the lift,unsure what she should do. Would this Admiral kick her off the ship? Probably. Who would want a dirty Quarian on their ship, anyway?

Well...Shepard, it seemed. He honestly seemed to want her on the ship. He was so nice to her, she wasn't sure how to react. The rest of the crew were polite as well. Engineer Adams was a bit standoffish at first, but as he saw her work he began to talk to her, even assigned her work. She had a shift and everything!

But, then there were some people that watched her or talked when they thought she couldn't hear. They clearly didn't know about her helmet's audion pick ups. People like Ashley, that talked down to her, like she was some wayward child.

But she wasn't a child! That was why she was on her Pilgrimage! To prove she was ready to be an adult! Then Tali's hands began to wring in front of her. Did Shepard think of her as a child? Maybe he was just pitying her, letting her tag along because he thought he owed her? No. He wouldn't do that...would he?

"...TALI!" Kaiden said, loudly, making her jump. He was standing in the door to the lift holding it from closing. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh! Um..no, it's fine. I'm sorry. I was just...thinking about some..stuff. My mind wandered," Tali said looking at the floor. _Keelah, you silly girl Tali, this is why they think of you as a child!_

With a shrug Kaiden beckoned her forward. "Going up?" he asked.

"Yes, I am going up," Tali nodded, stepping into the lift as Kaiden let the door close. Her hands returned to twisting together

"You seem nervous. Didn't realize I was that intimidating," Kaiden chuckled, as Tali's head snapped around to him.

"No! You aren't intimidating!" she denied, shaking her head. "Well, I mean you are a little, but that's just because you are human, and this is a human ship, and I am just a Quarian, here by myself. Though, I guess, not really by myself, Garrus and Wrex are here and they are aliens. Oh, and Liara too, now. But people like them, well, maybe not Krogan so much, but he is big and stuff, and I am just a Quarian, we aren't very popular…" Tali trailed off as she glanced up to see Kaiden's slack jawed expression. "And...I am babbling. Sorry. I do that when I get nervous…"

Kaiden laughed and leaned back against the wall of the lift. "I get it," he said. "It's the Admiral thing, isn't it?"

Nodding slightly Tali looked again at the floor. "He's going to make me leave, isn't he?"

As the doors opened, Kaiden gestured Tali out first, then following. "Tali, Admiral Mikhailovich is known for being down on aliens. He will not be happy with any of you guys on board."

Tali, nodded again, slightly, still staring at the floor as her hands wrung together, trying not to cry. She knew it…

"But," Kaiden interrupted her thoughts before they could go spinning out of control again. "This is Shepard's ship. Shepard is a Spectre, outside of Alliance chain of command. He gets to pick his own crew. And the crew he picked has you. He likes you, otherwise he wouldn't have you here."

Looking up, Tali forced her hands apart. "Do you think so?" she asked. She knew it wasn't like Ashley, or Liara, they were pretty. Wrex was a strong warrior, so was Garrus. All she had to offer was her engineering skills.

"Of course I think so," Kaiden assured her. "He comes down to visit you in engineering all the time, doesn't he? He does make the rounds, but he seems to talk to you the most."

"I..I don't..know…" she stammered. Shepard was nice. He talked to her, sure. He talked to everybody. But he did seem to ask a lot of questions about the Fleet, about Quarians. Sometimes they even talked about engineering stuff. He seemed to understand most of what she said. And she had seen him do some impressive things in the field. Like that bit with the drilling laser.

Tali took a deep breath and nodded, looking up. "Okay," she said, shoring up her courage. "What do I have to do to clean up for the Admiral?"

* * *

John, SSV Normandy, Citadel

"Alright people. You all know the drill. Don't talk to the Admiral if you can manage it. Definitely, under no circumstances, should anybody discuss the missions with him. If he presses you, invoke Spectre status and tell him it is classified. I am leaving you all here as a statement of my trust in you. I have faith you will all hold up. That is all," John keyed off the comm, glancing at Joker. "You could have shaved."

"Not for a first date," the pilot said, scoffing.

"Really, Joker, even for me?"

"Commander. I like you and all, but I am just not ready for that kind of commitment. Try Garrus, maybe. He seems like the bromance type of guy."

With a laugh, John turned to the airlock, and squared up his shoulders. "Well," he said. "Here we go…"

"Good luck," Joker called out. "Bring me something nice!"

As the airlock cycle and the outer door opened, John's eyes widened in surprise. Not so much at the dour Admiral, but at his sister, Jane. She stood behind and to the right of the stockier man, with the practiced blank expression of a seasoned officer.

Shaking off his surprise, Jahn saluted. "Admiral, Captain."

The two officers returned his salute as the Admiral stepped forward, crowding John slightly. "I don't like you. And I don't like your ship. I am going to go in there and I am going to pick the thing apart. Then I am going to be sending a rather poor review to the Fleet Command," The man almost snarled. "This ship was supposed to go to my fleet. It is a waste of credits. The cost of it could have paid for two cruisers."

Looking down, John set his face as passive as his sister's. "Yes, sir, but the credits were well spent. The Normandy has the best stealth capabilities in Citadel space…"

"Bullshit," the Admiral cut him off."

"Excuse me sir?"

"I said bullshit, Commander. Humanity needs war ships. Military strength. I would expect after Mindoir, you would have realized that!"

John felt his eyes narrow and his jaw tighten. From the corner of his eye, he saw his sister become rigid as well.

"Oh? Nothing to say, Commander?" the Admiral goaded. "Well, Commander, for now. After I make my inspection, I will be bringing charges against you. Dereliction of duty, at the least. I understand you have aliens aboard as well. I might even be able to swing a treason charge in there for allowing them access to Alliance intelligence. We will have to see, won't we?"

After a pause, Admiral Mikhailovich snorted. "I might as well, tell you now, I am seizing command of this vessel, and relieving you of duty. Move aside, I intend to log this as soon as possible."

"No," John said quietly.

Mikhailovich looked up at Shepard sharply. "Excuse me, Commander?"

"I said, I will not allow you to take command of this vessel," John spoke louder this time. "You do not have the authority to take the ship, nor do you have authority to relieve me of command."

Now the Admiral stepped fully into Shepard's face, well, at least as close to it he could, being a good six inches shorter than John. "I AM AN ADMIRAL! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME? I AM YOUR SUPERIOR OFFICER! ANDERSON CAN'T HELP YOU NOW, BOY! I WILL SEE YOU COURT MARTIALED FOR THIS!"

John looked down at the man's quickly purpling face. "No, sir. You are a higher ranking officer. However, I have higher orders," John raised his omnitool bringing up said orders. "Admiral Hackett has given me free access for the Normandy and leave to select my own crew."

John's voice grew colder, and venomous. "That aside, Admiral. I am a Council Spectre. I may still be an Alliance officer, but I am allowed, and duty bound, to stop those that may hinder my operations for the Council."

Blinking, Admiral Mikhailovich stepped back, momentarily unnerved by the quiet danger in Shepard's voice. Bringing up the orders Shepard sent him, he ground his teeth in impotent rage. "Fine," he ground out. "I will be making my inspection and I will be making my report to the Alliance Command."

With a nod, John stepped aside. "Feel free, Admiral. My Xo, Lieutenant Commander Pressley will be happy to show you around."

"Come!" Mikhailovich snarled, as he gestured to Jane. During the entire exchange, she kept her eye straight ahead, her back ramrod straight. As she passed her brother, following the Admiral into the Normandy, she lightly punched John's shoulder, with a wink. Miming pain, John rubbed his shoulder, looking at Jane with mock tears in his eyes as the outer airlock door closed.


	9. CH9 Conversations

Jane

Walking into the mess, Jane cradled her cup of coffee, wondering how people insisted on drinking it hot. You couldn't even actually drink it. You had to sip it and try not to hurt yourself. It was room temperature and black. That was the only civilized way to drink it.

The ship was quiet, seeing as the majority of the crew was ashore here, on the Citadel, with just the necessary skeleton crew still aboard. That being said, Jane was surprised to come across the three female members of the ground crew, all, seemingly, doing their level best to ignore each other.

The Quarian, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, Jane was pretty sure that was her name, sat at the far end of the mess table. Jane noted that, even as she worked on some piece of tech, her posture seemed to take up as little room as possible, as if she was expecting somebody to come along and tell her to leave. Which, sadly, Jane thought, she probably got a lot.

Jane recognized Doctor Liara T'soni, having read a few of her papers on the Protheans. She was seated in the middle of the table sipping a mug of hot tea as she read a datapad. It was so similar to many of the times she came across John doing the same thing, it made her smile.

The only other human in the room at the moment was Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. She had heard about the woman's situation earlier, from one of John's reports. Shame, really, how the sins of the father got pressed onto the child. She was at the farther end of the table nearly mirroring Tali. Though she seemed to be cleaning and M-8 Avenger rifle.

If what she had heard from Jeff was true, then this could be an interesting situation. And she, as John's loving and devoted sister, should, no, _required_ , to meddle.

Walking into the mess she approached the table and sat in the seat opposite Liara, placing her coffee mug onto the table, a bit louder than was necessary.

With a inwardly smug smile, Jane saw all the women turn their attention to her. She noted, how the Quarian jumped slightly, the Asari paused, her tea mug paused halfway to her mouth, and the human's eyes widen as she began to stand quickly.

"As your were Chief," Jane said, waving a hand in Ashley's direction.

* * *

Ashley

Frowning at the rifle in front of her, Ashley was unhappy. There were too many aliens onboard, and it seemed like the Commander doted on them. At least once a day he seemed to make rounds to speak with each of them. He did come and talk to her, as well, thought it didn't seem to be nearly as much as she spent talking to the Turian. Or the Krogan. Or even that Quarian, which was kind of weird, she thought.

But now...now he was spending time in that lab place behind the med bay with that Asari. Supposedly they were working on those visions he got from that Prothean device. Which, in a way, made it her own fault.

Well. Admiral Mikhailovich and that Captain he had with him, departed an hour ago, and he seemed to be displeased with the aliens on board as well, so, maybe it would be cleared up soon.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud thump, of a mug hitting the table. Looking up her eyes widened. She thought the Captain had left! Quickly, she began to stand when the Captain waved her down.

"As you were Chief," the Captain said, dismissively waving a hand at her.

"Yes, Captain," Ashley said, sitting back down and looking back to the rifle in front of her. She was a bit satisfied to seeing the other two women, well Asari and Quarian, seemed just as surprised as she was.

* * *

Tali

 _Come ON, you bosh'tet,_ Tali silently cursed the gear exchanger from the Mako's right middle wheel. She was having difficulty getting the casing apart so she could figure out the problem. Inside.

A small part of her attention was the other two females in the mess with her. She had thought, with the crew mostly gone, she would be able to sit more comfortably as she worked on the part. Maybe have a food tube. No sooner than she had sat down and clicked the tube into the slot on the underside of her helmet, had the two others arrived.

Now she tried to work quietly and quickly, attempting to not draw too much attention to herself. She could almost feel the tension between the human soldier, Ashley, and the Asari, Liara. It was clear to her that both women were competing for Commander Shepard's affection.

Tali could understand why. He was a compassionate human, but strong, and a good soldier. He brought aliens aboard his ship and treated them as if they were always part of his crew. He talked to them, listened to their troubles and gave advice or shared his own stories with them.

And, he even accepted a Quarian onto his ship. After getting the Gath data from her, Tali expected him to send her on her way. If he was nice maybe he would have given her some credits. But, he hadn't he had brought her aboard his ship. It was strange, how much he seemed to care. He came to her in engineering and asked her about her people, herself. And he even seemed truly interested, even when she started to ramble on about tech and the engine core, or even just omni-tools.

 _Besides,_ she thought. _He is kinda cute…_ She did NOT just think that!

A furious blush crept up her neck at her thought. _Keelah,_ she was glad that her visor was opaque at times like this.

A loud thump at the table made her jump, nearly dropping the engager. Her head snapped around to see the red haired woman that had accompanied the human Alliance Admiral earlier. As she sat she waved down Ashley, Tali nearly spit the water she was drinking into the inside of her helmet. Did Ashley just say this human was a Captain?!

* * *

Liara

When she had come into the mess to get herself a mug of tea, Liara noticed the Quarian, sitting at the table, working on some bit of tech. As she sat down herself, she nodded politely to the girl as she pulled up her datapad. Between being rescued by Commander Shepard on Therum, and the encounter with the Thorian on Feros, she barely had time breathe, let alone get caught up on the Normandy and its operations. While Shepard and the crew were off ship seemed like the perfect time. She was, in fact, reading the reports from the encounter on Eden Prime, when Ashley arrived, as if summoned by the very subject.

Goddess knows the human had been through quite the trial, but Liara wondered if she wasn't clinging too much onto Commander Shepard because of it. Being an archeologist and not a psychologist, it wasn't exactly something Liara could say definitively, but something did seem...off, about the woman. But then, she made it clear that she wasn't fond of non humans.

Lost in her contemplations, she was startled by the thumping of a mug dropping onto the table. She froze, her own mug halfway to her mouth. From the corners of her eyes, Liara saw the other two women start at the interruption. Poor Tali nearly jumped clear out of her suit.

Looking up, Liara saw that it was the Alliance Captain that had been accompanying the Admiral. _Why did she stay behind?_ Liara wondered. _Maybe she wanted to talk to Shepard?_ Liara was surprised at the twinge of jealousy she felt. Maybe...she felt more for the Commander than she thought. His eyes had a sadness to them, but were filled with a passion. His smile was warm, and he was generous with it. This Captain's smile reminded her strongly of Shepard's…

* * *

Jane

Smiling, Jane slid her gaze over the three women at the table. _Which one, which one,_ she thought to herself. _Who to start with… Ah! Let's go youngest first!_

Turning slightly in her seat she appraised the Quarian. It wasn't that she knew exactly that Tali was the youngest, but she had the awkward air about her. Her suit seemed to be old, but in that hand-me-down sort of way. She seemed nervous, like she wasn't sure what she was doing here or even why.

Jane knew that Quarians in general had a bad reputation. Something about liars and thieves or some such. But she knew that John, just like her, never believed in stereotypes. Both Shepard siblings were open minded and welcomed the points of view other species could share.

This Quarian was holding a piece of tech Jane almost recognized. Frowning slightly she attempted to recall where she had seen it before.

* * *

Tali

 _Why is she looking at me?_ Tali wondered. _Does she hate aliens? Maybe it's just Quarians. That Admiral earlier seemed extra displeased when he saw me._ She felt a sting to her heart that surprised her. She was actually enjoying her time of this ship. Nobody treated her poorly or called her 'suit-rat'. _She isn't going to make me leave is she? She can't make me go, right? This is a Spectre ship now, wasn't it?_

Then Tali saw where the Captain was looking. She was eyeing the gear engager with a frown on her face. _She thinks I stole it! Of course she does, that's what everybody thinks about Quarians. She is going to make me leave!_ Tali could feel the tears welling up in here eyes and she clutched the engager to her chest.

"Gear piece! That's what that part is!" Tali did not expect that….

* * *

Jane

 _It actually looks like she is afraid I am going to take it from her._ Jane thought as she saw the Quarian hold the part closer to her chest.

Then it hit her, she knew what the part was! She had seen John struggle to get one apart one when they were young. The thought brought a smile to her face.

"Gear piece! That's what that is!" she exclaimed, making Tali jump again.

"Um..Ye-yes?" Tali stammered. It was clear by her tone that she was at once surprised and confused. Jane did that to people sometimes.

"You should have John deal with that when he gets back from gallivanting around the Citadel. He knows those pieces inside and out," Jane said, grinning at the girl. "We had an old T-35 rover back home. He would work on it for hours. Personally, I couldn't stand the kind of hands-on work he always did. I just pay somebody to fix my skycar. Way easier."

* * *

Tali

 _John?_ It took Tali a moment to process the name. _That's the Commander's name, wasn't it?_

Blinking in confusion, it took Tali a moment to process what the Captain was saying. "He worked on rovers?" she asked, surprised. _If...if that is true...maybe I will have something I can talk with him about,_ her thoughts ran quickly. It might have been part of the conversation she had accidently overheard after they had rescued Liara. Growing up as crowded as they were on the Flotilla, Tali knew that listening in on another's conversation was terribly rude. But… she had heard Commander Shepard mentioning his family...and she grew curious… but... _but...if he's and engineer..._ _Maybe that's why he seems to understand when I talk about working on the old ships on the Flotilla..._

Tali was about to ask more when she was interrupted…

* * *

Ashley

"...I just pay somebody to fix my skycar. Way easier."

Ashley was caught by surprise. _This Captain knew the Commander? Wait,_ she thought, _it was more than that, she said '_ we' _. She was related?_ Then it dawned on her. She knew who tis Captain was!

"Holy, shit! You're Jane Shepard! The Commander's sister!" she blurted, before she could stop herself.

Captain Shepard glanced over her shoulder, frowning at Ashley. "Yes, I am," she said a cold tone to her voice.

 _Fuck! That's a great way to make an impression! Good fucking work Ash!_ She berated herself.

* * *

Liara

Setting her tea down, Liara looked between the three women. The Captain, apparently the Commander's sister, seemed to be irritated by Ashley's blurting out her name. She recognized the look the red haired woman was giving. It was one her own mother often gave her when she interrupted her. The voice had the same cold tone, even.

"Yes, I am." Was all she said before turning back to Tali.

Liara felt a little bad for Ashley, but she was interested in this tidbit about the Commander's childhood. She had seen him do some impressive work with his biotics. He wasn't as strong as an her own people, but he had a precision she had not often seen before.

"Ah, excuse me?" she started, worried a bit that she might draw Captain Shepard's wrath onto herself. Those fears were laid to rest when Shepard turned to her, the frown gone.

"Yes?" the Captain said, her tone changed to a mildly curious level.

"Commander Shepard has impressive biotic skill, and he seems to be a talented engineer as well. Has he always been talented like that?"

* * *

Jane

"...The Commander's sister!"

Jane frowned and turned slightly looking at Chief Williams. "Yes, I am." she stated curtly. She hated being interrupted. It was probably the thing that irritated her the most. She was about to lay into the woman when Liara spoke up.

"Ah, excuse me?"

 _See?_ Jane thought. _That is how you ask a question!_ She was pleased for a moment before she realized she was just quoted her stepfather to herself. _Fuck me, she would never live it down if she heard that, either._

"Yes?" Jane encouraged the Asari. All the better to get the thought of being ' _An Adult'_ out of her mind.

"Commander Shepard has impressive biotic skill, and he seems to be a talented engineer as well. Has he always been talented like that?"

Glancing at the other two, she noted them paying strict attention. _Ha! Gotcha!_ Jane chuckled to herself. _All three of them at once. This is like in high school. I bet Jay Jay has no freaking clue!_

"Yeah, growing up, he was always taking things apart and putting them back together. It didn't go well on the ships or stations we were on. But once his biotics started to manifest we got sent to stay with our stepfather on Mindior," Jane said leaning back slightly, smiling at the memories.

"What happened after he got biotics?" Tali asked, breaking her out of her memory haze.

"Oh. Well, it isn't like he stopped tinkering with things. Like I said, he worked on the T-35 all the time. He really cranked it up. It was probably the fastest thing on the colony that wasn't airborne. Actually, if anything else, it got a bit worse. Hestalia had to incorporate it into her biotic lessons, otherwise he wouldn't pay attention."

* * *

Liara

 _Hestalia..._ Liara thought, amazed at how neither of the siblings seemed to know anything about who Hestalia Say'tos was.

"I'm sorry to interrupt again," she said leaning forward. "But I thought human biotics had a special program or something they had to go through."

Shepard smirked a little. "He got a special pass on it. Our mother was a Lieutenant Commander at the time. She called in some favors and got permission for him to be sent to Mindoir where our stepfather could teach him. He is Asari, after all."

Liara sat stunned. Humanity hadn't been in space all that long. For one to have married an Asari that long ago, Shepard's mother must be incredibly progressive. That might contribute to the Commander's ready acceptance of aliens on his ship.

* * *

Ashley

"Asari? He? I thought Asari are all female?" Ashley sat, looking between Liara and Captain Shepard. She was so confused. The brief that all Alliance troops got included that Asari were a monogendered race that could have some sort of weird sex with any alien species to make more Asari. Not only that the Shepard's mother really married an alien? Ashley had overheard that part of his conversation with Liara after their return from Therum, which was rude enough of her, but she had a hard time properly processing the information.

Ashley wasn't prejudiced or anything. She liked aliens fine. But, well, humans should marry humans. Wouldn't aliens have different...whatevers? What if they like, had acid as bodily fluids of something? It wasn't natural, is what it was.

Then it occurred to her. That must be the Commander's interest in Liara. It must just seem normal for him. Well, that may be. But she would remind him that he was human.

Turning to the Captain, she opened her mouth to speak, then snapped it shut when she saw the look Captain Shepard was giving her.

"Yes?" the Captain asked. Her voice was like ice as she waited for Ashley to respond.

* * *

Jane

"...I thought Asari are all female?" Ashley blurted.

Jane looked to the human, seeing the thoughts running through her mind. Jane had to admit she was disappointed. It wasn't like she hadn't seen this kind of reaction before. Too many times, really. But she expected Jay Jay wouldn't have brought somebody this prejudiced onto his ship.

"Yes?" she asked, inviting the woman to say something. _Do it,_ she thought. _Just give me an excuse to bust you off my brother's ship, before you fuck something up._

To her dismay, the Gunnery Chief wisely shut her mouth with an audible click.

Sighing, Jane nodded. "Yes, they are monogendered. The fact the happen to look feminine to humans doesn't mean anything. Being monogendered means that they all would need a way to carry a child to term, birth it and feed it while it was an infant. Those acts require some form of vagina and breasts."

Jane gestured to Tali then. "I am sure female Quarians work the same way, more or less." Receiving an embarrassed nod, she continued. "Krogan and Salarians are reptilian, and amphibian respectively. They do eggs. I…" she paused. "Actually have no idea how Turians do it. I am not a biologist."

Ashley seemed mollified, her eyes downcast. _Good, you will expand your mind some,_ Jane growled internally.

After a pregnant pause she nodded and turned back to Tali. "Anyway, as I was saying, Hestalia made him use his biotics when he tinkered." When the Quarian tilted her head, in a manner Jane took to be confusion, Jane attempted to clarify. "Like, using biotics to pick of a tool, or lift something to work on. It got to a point where she had him using biotics in place of a screw driver, or," she gestured to the part Tali was clutching. "Opening up a gear...thing."

* * *

Tali

Looking down at the gear engager, Tali felt a warm wave of happiness. She shared something in common with the Commander that the others didn't! The thought made her a little giddy. Maybe she could ask for his help on some things. It would give them some time to talk. She liked talking. Well, she liked talking to _him_ , anyway.

"That's...that's interesting…" Tali said, looking up again. "Are you an engineer too?"

Jane laughed at her. Rather loudly. Tali was almost offended when the human waved a hand at her smiling. "Goddess, no!" she said, as she recovered her breath. "Jay Jay is the engineer of the family. I'm like our mother, I am numbers all the way. I was trained primarily for shipboard tactics."

It was interesting to Tali how alike the two were in their behavior, but so different in their skill set. Add the fact that both of them had jumped to such a high rank so young. Even the Shepards mother was a Captain of her own ship, Tali knew. And the fact that they had an Asari stepfather, they must be an amazingly strong family. Family.

The thought brought her down a little. She was envious, she admitted to herself. Her mother had died when she was young, and her father isolated himself in his research, leaving Tali to be raised, basicly by her Auntie Raan. Having such a large family that, clearly, shared a strong bond, it simply amazed her.

* * *

Jane

Maybe she took her joke too far? Jane looked at Tali, concerned. The girl had gone quiet. It was hard to tell, but it seemed that the glowing eyes behind the visor grew a little distant.

Clearing her throat she decided to power on. Tali seemed to perk up whenever she spoke about Jay Jay. _Wow, This one has it BAD._ She couldn't help but smirk.

"Yeah. John got the deeper end of the genetic pool thought. He got the biotics, though that seems to be it's own bag of kittens, he is all...tinkery, and he is was always the athletic one. He even has a knack for picking up languages," Jane shook her head mildly disgusted. "I know several myself, but I had to study. He just picks them up. It's infuriating. But!" she grinned again. "He is terrible at reading the mood. He is exceptionally thick headed when it comes to women!"

Internally, Jane knew that was a cheap shot. All three women seemed to lean toward her slightly now.

"So let me tell you about this time in school. There were this small group of girls that had formed something like a fan club for him, that he had no idea about. Well, one day they…"

"They all got into a fight and got themselves and me suspended because a particularly nosey twin sister decided it would be fun to see what buttons she could push where?" a strong masculine voice cut in.

Blanching, Jane turned to the entrance to the mess to see Jay Jay, leaning against the wall, his ankles crossed, and his arms folded over his chest. He did not look pleased to see her.

"No, no," he gestured with a hand. "Do continue."

"Ah… hey there...Jay Jay….Uh, let me explain?"


	10. CH10 Citadel Interlude

John, Citadel

The report to the Council had been short and...well, not sweet, but it could have gone worse. It _wasn't_ his fault the Prothean ruins collapsed. Okay, it _might_ have been _partially_ his fault. With the mining laser and everything….

After the report, John felt it would be best to give the Admiral enough time to do his business and leave. He did not particularly look forward to any more interactions with the man. The small minded, small bodied rodent….

Shaking the thought off, John went out onto the Presidium proper. He never got the chance the last time he had been on station. There was a _lot_ going on last time.

A few hours of wandering. A few random encounters, some errand running to help some people. A Hanar proselytizer corralled, that had been a weird one. An Asari Consort assisted, he still wasn't sure how he felt about that whole exchange. An Elcor diplomat relieved, he rather enjoyed talking to them. And now, an Asari diplomat convinced him to stop her sister, a rogue mercenary who had gone slaver. It was never hard to convince John to stop a slaver.

Now, though, it was all about shopping. During the last mission, John had gathered a rather large amount of salvage and resources. Picking up signals from a few, seemingly, random planets had gotten him some relics. A few lost writings of an ancient Asari Matriarch, signs of the lost Salarian assassin group, known as the League of One.

Needless to say, John had some credits to work with now.

Going through the markets, even hitting some higher end stores netted John several upgrades for his team. Weapons, armor, even some omnitools. All in all, a good haul.

As he returned to the ship, he paused outside on the dock and eyed the Normandy, warily. Everything _looked_ peaceful. No signs of damage or foul play. Even though his sister had been there. He didn't trust it.

After the airlock cycled, John stepped onto the command deck and looked over to Joker. The man sat in his pilot chair, rotated around so that he was facing John.

"So…" John said.

"Yeah…" Joker replied.

"Ship looks...good."

"Yeah, yeah. Pretty good."

"Good."

"Yup. Good."

"..."

"..."

"Wanna tell me why you got the Admiral all in a fit before sending him in, Commander?" Joker asked, a bit upset.

"Joker, you sound a bit upset…."

"Commander. You are my favorite Commander. You could probably twist me into a pretzel with your biotics, or even your hand. Or make my fillings explode with some sort of weird engineering thing," Joker stated all matter of fact. "However. I am willing to hit you right now."

Laughing, John apologized to the pilot. "Joker, you are the best pilot in the galaxy. I knew you could handle a little hot air."

"Yeah, right, no point in trying to butter me up now Commander," Joker snorted, swiveling his chair back around. "Did you get me anything good?"

"Of course!" John replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key chain, passing it to his pilot.

Slipping the ring around his finger, Joker let the end drop, looking at it. The figure on the end was a little animated version of Shepard himself, sticking, head and shoulders, out of a cartoon rendition of the Normand.

"Thanks, Commander," Joker smirked. "I'll treasure it always. I'll keep it under my pillow when I sleep."

"Anything to keep the moral of my team up!"

"Yeah," Joker smirked. "Maybe you should look over the ship. Make sure Mikhailovich didn't leave any surprises…."

John frowned immediately. "She's still here. Isn't she?"

With a shrug, Joker opened his consoles and began a diagnostic. "Not idea who you mean Commander."

* * *

Garrus, SSV Normandy, Citadel

"Your sister was interesting," Garrus stated, leaning back on the Mako.

Shepard just grunted where he lay on the floor.

"She seemed to be pretty good hand to hand there," Garrus noted.

Shepard just grunted again.

"How many times was it she kicked your ass before she left?"

Shepard groaned, turning his sweaty head to look up at Garrus. "Twelve."

"I was a bit distracted by the betting pool there, but how many did you win?"

"Ugh, one."

Nodding, Garrus regarded Shepard, his mandibles flared wide in a Turian grin. "Even when she let you use your biotics…."

"Oh, shut up," Shepard cursed as he slowly sat up. "You heard the bit about our step father, right?"

"I did," Garrus extended his hand to the Commander.

"Well, she taught us an Asari unarmed fighting style, Sambaria. It incorporates biotics, so it was ideal for me to learn. However, it also teaches how to fuck up biotics your opponent uses. Which, as you could see, was the part she is annoyingly, and painfully, good at," Shepard explained as the took the Turian's hand, standing.

Garrus nodded with a chuckle. He knew how sisters could be after all. Though, his could kick the ever living crap out of him. She _was_ , however, almost as good a shot as he was. Which was a bit frightening to Garrus. Seeing as she only had served her minimum time in the military before returning home to help take care of their mother.

Thinking about his mother put a damper on his smile for a moment before her shook it off. _Now isn't the time, Garrus,_ he thought to himself. _Shepard doesn't need to hear your sob story on top of all his other problems._

Frowning at Garrus's sudden silence, Shepard glanced at his friend as he leaned back onto the Mako, next to him. "You had a thought there. Want to share?"

Cursing at himself, in his head, Garrus waved off Shepard's concern. "It's nothing. Just some family drama of my own. Nothing to trouble you about."

Shepard smiled ruefully, "Garrus, if there is anything I know, it's family drama. I have a thirteen year old blue biotic sister."

Garrus sputtered a laugh, shaking his head. How the hell did Shepard always know the right thing to say? It was rather infuriating. "Really, Shepard, it's no big deal."

"Allright, not going to push. But if you do want to chat about it sometime, my door is always open to you, big guy."

"Sure thing Shepard."

* * *

Liara, SSV Normandy, Citadel

She looked down at the plush Elcor she held in her hands and smiled. It was adorable. She had been confused when Shepard first handed it to her, but then he said it looked like something she would enjoy. And he was right. At home, well, at her mother's house on Thessia, her room still had a great many plush animals, and beings. Whenever she visited, she liked to let herself fall onto them and relax.

Turning the doll over, Liara giggled quietly. She was alone in the biolab, there was no need to be embarrassed here.

 _How did he know?_ She wondered. _Could it be the Joining let him see into my mind as well?_

The thought was a sobering one. She was young. Only a hundred and six. She had never Joined before. Was she doing it wrong? She certainly didn't want to cause the Commander harm.

Sitting in her chair, Liara contemplated it as she made the little Elcor's soft forearms clap for her. She was a little worried, but also a little excited by Shepard. He was dashing, handsome, and brave. He rescued her from certain capture, or maybe death. He battled a vicious Krogan, and his army of Geth to save her.

Now he brought her things like this little girl. _Your name will be...Josweena_ she decided, with a nod.

The other night he sat with her as she was at a rather bland meal in the mess. They discussed Asari poetry for a bit, they talked about how different, yet alike, their mother's were. They didn't talk about Protheans even once.

It was...nice.

He was exceptionally gentle. He didn't look at her with the eyes a lot others usually did. Everybody wanted an Asari to play with. Very few wanted to actually _be_ with them. Except Shepard. He looked into her eyes, not at her breasts. He respected her opinions. He gave counter arguments and didn't condescend. He was everything she dreamed of as a child. Well. Not quite. He wasn't blue and riding in on a _Jorln._ But close enough.

Liara clasped the stuffed plush to her chest as she moved to her bed and lay down. She was quickly asleep.

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy, Citadel

"Hey, Tali, I picked some thing up for you," came Shepard's voice from behind her. Making her start slightly. Turning from her locker, Tali looked back at him.

"For..for me?" inside Tali was leaping about. "You don't need to get me things Shepard…."

He shrugged as he looked her over. "Well, I like to know you are better protected when we go out there," he said handing her a heavy box.

As she opened the lid her eyes widened behind her visor. "Shepard! This is armor for a Quarian! It has all the attachment plates to fit to an exosuit!"

Grinning, Shepard nodded. "It does. I need my favorite engineer safe, after all. Oh, don't tell Adams," He gave her a conspiratorial wink.

"I don't know what to say! Thank you so much!"

"Well," he said, with an air of being overly casual. "I also happened to find this!"

With a flourish, Shepard pulled out a Mark 88-C Omnitool. Tali had heard about them, but they weren't to be released for another standard year!

"Shepard...I...I can't accept that!" Her mind was boggled. The armor, now and omnitool. A beyond bleeding edge omnitool.

Chuckling, Shepard held up his own wrist, showing her the same omnitool. "Look, we'll match!"

The idea made her heart melt. He wanted to match with her? Did he even know what that meant? No. Of course he didn't. Maybe...maybe if she accepted it, she could pretend. In her head.

 _Yeah, very adult, Tali,_ her mind admonished her. _Not a creepy little girl thing to do._

But then...maybe she should just enjoy her time with Shepard as much as she could.

"Thank you very much, Shepard. I will put them to good use."

* * *

Wrex, SSV Normandy, Citadel

"Wrex," Shepard said, approaching.

"Shepard," he nodded back. The human came down to talk to him fairly often. But then he talked to all of his ground team. It wasn't so much that Wrex found it annoying, as much as it was odd. He asked questions about his people, or his world. He made Wrex think about those things. Sometimes he didn't like thinking about them.

"How did the Admiral go with you?" Shepard smirked.

"Oh, about as well as you did with your sister there," Wrex shot back, a smirk of his own.

"Ouch Wrex, that was mean!"

"Heh, if that was mean to you, you are in for a bad week."

Shepard laughed good naturedly before sidling up closer to the Krogan. "So...I was reading over some reports about an organ smuggler Garrus is looking for…"

"Yeah?" Wrex tilted his head curiously. He didn't have eyebrows to raise the way humans and Asari did.

"Yeah...Well, apparently one of the big ticket items are Krogan testicle replacement?"

Wrex stared at Shepard for a full beat of the two hearts before cracking down into laughter. He leaned over, placing his hands on his knees as he began to wheeze. After nearly a full five minutes Wrex pulled himself together and looked up at Shepard. He was aware of the entire room looking at him, but he hardly cared about that.

"Yeah, some Krogan seem to think that it might get them past the Genophage. Doesn't work of course, but they try."

"That sounds pretty extreme," Shepard shuddered, his hand going unconsciously to his nethers.

Wrex gave Shepard a sober eye and nodded. "It's what the Genophage has reduced up to. Most Krogan have given up. They just want revenge. Or, like me, they just sell their lives away as mercenaries. Every year, they leave our planet, and never return. We are a dying race Shepard. We will go extinct. The Turians and Salarians may have tied the noose and put it over our head, but we are the ones to jump."

"And you don't think your people can be saved?"

"I did, once," Wrex shrugged his massive shoulders. "But my own father tried to kill me in one of our holiest sites. A place blood was never meant to be spilled. I was forced to kill him, because I advocated peace. I wanted the Krogan to focus on our problems. Keeping our population up, growing who we were. My father just wanted blind revenge."

Shepard regarded Wrex calmly. "That sounds pretty rough Wrex."

"Yeah well. I learned one important thing that day," Wrex sighed.

"What's that, Wrex?" Shepard asked.

"Sometimes the rot is too deep to save."

* * *

Ashley, SSV Normandy, Citadel

"Never expected you to be the poetry type, Ash," Shepard said, impressed.

"Hey now, Just because I can make headshots at a hundred meters, doesn't mean I don't like sensitive things as well," Ashley tried to look offended, but could not keep the smile off her face. "Just...maybe don't go spreading it around."

Shepard laughed and nodded. "Your secret is safe with me. I am usually less than a hundred meters in front of you anyway."

Ashley paused to think a moment before looking up at Shepard's face. "I was wondering about that, Skipper. You always do seem to rush out in front."

"Well," Shepard started, his hand going back to rub the back of his neck. It was a nervous gesture Ashley had noted before. _It's kinda cute,_ Ashley thought to herself. "Partially, it's the N7 training. We were taught to lead from the front. And I get overzealous at times."

Shaking her head, Ashley smiled. "Now way, skipper. There is more than that, and you aren't getting away without spilling."

"Alright, alright," Shepard laughed holding his hands up in mock surrender. _I like how he laughs. I like how he does a lot of things…_

Clearing his throat Shepard shrugged. "A lot of it comes down to hostile atmosphere training on Mars," Shepard shook his head nostalgically. "I can still hear Gunnery Chief Ellison screaming in my ear. 'Get up off your can and get in with those men!' he would yell."

Ashley's eyes widened as she nodded emphatically. "Or he would say, 'When I am done with you, you will eat Turians and shit Krogan!'," Ashley added, with a wide grin.

"No shit?" Shepard said, surprised. "The old bastard was still around?"

"You bet, Skipper, he used to claim the only reason you survived Elysium was because he held your hand all through training."

With a grunt, Shepard shook his head. "Hardly. He knew who my mother was. Claimed to know my father. He rode me harder than any other recruit. In fact, I am relatively sure he was trying to kill me."

"You...don't know who your father is?" Ashley's demeanor changed abruptly. _Good lord Ashley, you don't just blurt that out, what the hell is wrong with you!_

Shepard just shook is head. "Nope. Jane and I are the product of a short whirlwind romance, or so Mom tells us. All we know is he was a soldier of some sort. Was good at it. Had blonde hair like me, and it didn't work out because they always fought like cats and dogs." Shepard wrinkled his nose. "Kinda weird how both her major romances started in bars on Omega. At least the ones we know about. It's also why Jand and I try to keep her away from the place, and not let her have alcohol."

Ashley laughed, her hand over her mouth." I am so sorry, but that is amazing! I want to meet your mother someday!" Ashley's eyes widened as she realized what she had just said. And the potential of what it could mean.

Narrowing his eyes, ruefully, Shepard then clapped Ashley on the shoulder. "You survived my sister. But don't let that go to your head. She may have the ability to command a room, but she has nowhere _near_ the gravitas my mother has. It takes a hell of a quad, as Wrex would say, to command a dreadnought. And I am pretty sure hers are solid brass, the things she gets away with."

"Hey, Skipper…" I had been wondering…" Ashley began.

"Yeah?" Shepard encouraged. "Ask me anything you want, and within reason, I'll do my best to answer."

With a short nod Ashley continued, "What really happened on Elysium? I mean, we know the official story, about how you and your sister held off a battalion of Batarian troops by yourselves for a week, until you could be relieved, but what _really_ went down?"

Ashley was pretty sure she had overstepped her bounds as Shepard frowned, looking down at his feet.

Sighing Shepard shook his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I figured that would come up eventually. Look, It happened like this…."

* * *

Sambaria: Asari martial art that incorporates biotic attacks and physical enhancements. Also includes skills and strikes designed to disrupt and defeat the biotic attacks of the opponent. As such it is not taught to non Asari, except in very select circumstances.

Jorln: Horse like creature native to Thessia. It has four legs, that end in two toes with six inch talons. It's face has two eyes, one on either side of it's head, and a third one in the middle of its broad head. It is a carnivore that runs in small herds. Great Asari heroes of ancient times rode them into battle.


	11. CH11 Feros

John, Therum, Zhu's Hope

"Something about this place is….off," Garrus muttered under his breath.

Nodding in silent agreement, John went from colonist to colonist. Each time getting essentially the same answer. Or at least a variation of it. Either conversation that consisted of a lot of words, but almost no substance, or to talk to the leader Fai Dan.

Well, except for some issues with power and water. If John had the chance, he would look into them.

Not that Fai Dan was particularly useful. But he did give some directions for possible Geth locations. So, it wasn't a total waste of time.

Diving into the lower tunnels brought them encounters with yet more Geth, as well as a fight with an incredibly large Varren. All in all, they got through with only minor injuries. Until they ran into Ian Newstead.

The man stood alone down in the lower tunnels, away from all the chaos going on around him. Every now and again he would say something, quietly to himself, then grip his head as if intense pain.

When he noticed John's party arrive he stood straight and approached them with a more jubilant smile that one would expect for a man the had been just seconds before screaming in pain.

"Hello there! You must be new to our wonderful colony! You should probably leave while you can!" Ian said before his eyes went wide. He gritted his teeth and grunted, one hand going to his forehead. After a couple of moments he dropped his hand and return to his lazy smile.

Raising an eyebrow, John looked at the man for a moment before speaking. "What are you doing down here?"

Ian shrugged. "I am invoking the master's whip. Agh, god, that's a big one!" The pain in Ian's head caused him to double over, his hands on his knees groaning. After a moment he stood there catching his breath before standing and spitting over the side of the catwalk..

John's team looked at each other. This whole colony was off, and this guy seemed the most of all. "Look, there is something wrong in this colony, it's pretty obvious. But what is it?" John asked for the group.

"Oh, Well...All colonies have their issues...some have large ones," Ians eyes had a meaning in them. "I mean Zhu's Hope is just one of many, doing what they are told...Ah fuck, almost…" Ian whimpered. "We are having, Aaa, I mean there is a…" Ian dropped to his knees clutching his head. "A..a..Thor..n...in our side!" His wild eye had a pleading look in them. He was trying to tell them something, but something was obviously stopping him.

As he knelt on all fours, John kneeled down. "Has the entire colony been given slave chips?"

Sitting back on his heels, Ian waved his hand in a 'sort of' gesture while saying,"No, no, nobody has a slave chip in their heads. Exogeni has been all up in our..aa," Ian gripped his head again, grinding his teeth to get the last words out. "Up..in...our….brai...business…" he finally said, sitting back panting.

John looked at the man's eyes. He could see a strong will and determination. "All right he said slowly. I am sure Exogeni knows what they are doing. Just follow along with their plans. I'm sure they just are excited about the Prothean ruins."

With a look of both understanding and relief, Ian nodded. "Yup, that is probably it. Just stay out of the Prothean ruins and I am sure Exogeni will get what they need and move on."

"Alright then. I guess I'll fix the last couple of water valves before heading back to the colony," John stood, patting the other man on the shoulder. "You are and incredibly brave man to be able to be down here by yourself. What with all the varren and Geth running around. Maybe you should stay here until the crisis with the invaders is over."

"Ah, thanks Commander, I think I will do that."

* * *

Garrus, Feros

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me!" Garrus nearly yelled as the crew stepped out on the skyway and saw the Mako parked conveniently next to a wrecked M-29 Grizzly. He could feel his mandibles squeeze close to his face, and it was an effort to keep his hands uncurled.

It was fear. Simple fear. He wasn't too proud to admit it to himself. Not to Shepard, but at least to himself. There wasn't a person in the galaxy that wouldn't be worried by Shepard's driving.

"Hey, Boss," He started. "Maybe we could give Tali a try at driving this time…"

Tali's head turned toward him and tilted slightly in confusion. "Why would I want to drive?" she asked, innocently.

"Because! Um..because you need to do more things on your Pilgrimage. I mean we could let _Shepard_ drive you everywhere. But doesn't that seem dull?"

The Quarian stared at him for a moment before she nodded. "That..uh, that might be a good point…"

"Great idea!" Ashley seconded.

"Truly worthy!" Liara chimed in.

"Maybe she could run over some Geth or something," Wrex nodded. "Probably be pretty satisfying."

"I'm not sure it's the best idea to have her first time driving to be in a combat situation," Kaiden said casually as he stood looking down the skyway.

"Good point Kaiden!" Shepard exclaimed, stepping up to the Mako. "How about this, I'll drive like usual, but Tali can run the weapons system."

As the team filed past Kaiden before climbing into the Mako, they each slapped him on the back or shoulder, staggering the man.

"How about you sit in the back with Wrex," Garrus growled as he moved up front to the co-pilot seat.

Kaiden stood staring at the Mako with a frown as he rubbed his battered shoulder. "What?"

Garrus, Feros Skyway, Mako

"Rocket trooper," Garrus called, watching forward of the Mako, as he worked the sensor system. He could hear the cannon fire off mass accelerator rounds every few seconds as well as the minigun, firing in controlled bursts as he had shown Tali.

He had to hand it to her though. She wasn't a terrible shot. Not great or anything. But she was doing pretty good for her first time. The Quarian, no, Tali, had potential.

He shook his head as his mandibles flexed slightly in irritation. _You were really an ass to the girl for no reason,_ Garrus admonished himself. _Your dumb ass preconceptions. You even told yourself you wouldn't do things like that._

With a shake of his head he looked up, and frowned. "Rocket trooper," he repeated.

"I don't see it in my firing arc!" Tali called down, as she let loose another shell, destroying a pair of Juggernauts that hid behind some rubble.

"Not you!" Garrus called back. "Shepard, ROCKET TROOPERS! RIGHT THERE!" Garrus yelled, half climbing up his seat as he saw the Geth let loose a pair of missiles at the Mako.

Shepard, however, turned to the Turian. "Calm, down, I see them Garrus," Shepard's voice was calm and deliberate. "I want to give Tali a chance to practice on those other Geth."

Almost as an afterthought, Shepard hit the jump jets. The Tank barely cleared the two rockets that had been speeding towards them, to land nose down onto some rubble.

"There you go Tali!" Shepard yelled back to the turret. "Hit 'em!"

"What? Where?" Tali called down. She sounded dizzy. "Oh, I see them…."

The Mako let loose a shot from the cannon, as well as a short burst from the minigun, destroying the Geth Rocket Troopers, as it skidded to a stop.

Garrus stared wide eyed out the front wind screen for a couple seconds before slowly turning his head to look at the insane human. "Why...why did we stop?" he almost whispered.

Pointing to the side of the skyway, Garrus saw a depression in the side wall. Down into the wall looked like bunker doors.

After a moment, the doors opened and a human stuck her head out to look around.

* * *

Tali, Feros Skyway, Mako

She was a little sick. The rocking motion, the sudden turns and jerks, the unexpected jumps, both with the jump jets or barreling over rubble. There were a couple times she nearly lost it in her helmet. The suit was designed to be able to clean that up itself, but it still wasn't pleasant.

At first, when Garrus explained the turret controls, what aimed the main gun or the mini gun, what fired, how to turn the turret, or aim it up or down; that part was a _lot_ of fun. She really enjoyed laying waste to the Geth so easily.

But after a little while she remembered why they tried to talk Shepard out of driving. "Damn you, Kaiden," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that, Tali?" she heard the man in question call up to her.

"Nothing, _Bosh'tet,"_ she called back.

"Translator didn't get that Tali, what's _Bose-tat?"_

"Nothing Kaiden. It's not important. Oh, look Geth to shoot, busy now."

"Um...okay…"

It wasn't that she didn't like the man. Just right now she hated him. It would probably be fine once she worked it all out on these Geth.

"That one kinda looks like Kaiden…" she muttered as she fired the main gun into a single lone Geth trooper.

"Rocket troopers!" she heard Garrus call up….

John, Feros Skyway, Mako

As the Mako skidded to a stop in front of the Prothean building Exo-Geni had co-opted for it's local headquarters, the ramp dropped and the team piled quickly out of the tank. John was impressed with their enthusiasm, until he noticed nobody was watching the perimeter.

Wrex was leaning back on the Mako itself, his arms loose at his sides as he stared straight up into Feros's sky. Ashley was stooped over, her hands on her knees as she seemed to be taking deep breaths. Liara had her head pressed against the stone of a column. Kaiden was leaning over the edge of the Skyway itself...and it seemed he was throwing up? Garrus was holding him back from the edge.

"Guys?" he asked. "You all okay?"

The team all just stared at him from where they were. And after a moment, John realized he didn't see Tali. After a moment of worry, he leaned back into the Mako and looked around.

With a sigh of relief, he called out to her. "Tali? You okay? This is the place. We have those pass codes." When she didn't answer, John climbed up into the tank approached her. He was worried. Was she injured in some way? He didn't see anything breach the shields…..

As he got to the turret he leaned his head up in, next to her. She seemed to be unwounded but she was just staring straight ahead. He knew she was conscious but the glowing points in her visor that were her eyes. And next to his head, he could see her bosom rising and falling slowly with her breathing. However, he hands seemed to be squeezing onto the turrets controls. Tightly. He was pretty sure if she were to not be wearing gloves, her knuckles would be white. Well, and she would be human. He wasn't sure Quarian skin color, so he wasn't sure how it would look.

"Tali?" he said again, and she jumped, her helmet snapped around to him, her eyes as wide as he had ever seen them. She breathing now came in rapid small gasps, as if she were panting, after a long run. _Her chest is a bit of a distraction…._

"What?!" she burst, sounding somewhat frightened.

"I...didn't mean to startle you, but we are here? Time to go into the building?"

"Oh! Yes! Let's go do that!" Tali exclaimed as she quickly unstrapped herself from the turret's harness and beginning to scramble down.

* * *

Wrex, Feros, Exo-Geni Headquarters

Leaning against the door frame, Wrex help up a hand to the rest of the squad. Instead of attacking the Krogan Commander, that was currently berating a VI, they were watching him.

"Tell me what I want to know you stupid Machine!" it bellowed.

"I'm sorry," the VI politely said. "You do not have access to that information with your current Security level."

"Tell me _now_ before I turn your virtual ass into physical dust!" The Krogan's fury was clearly growing. At the moment, Wrex was surprised he had held on this long.

"I'm sorry, but you do not have the proper security clearance, if you have nothing else at the moment, please step aside as there is a queue forming behind you." the VI said, breaking the surprise with it's urban, polite statement.

Turning, the Krogan glared at Wrex, his eyes were bloodshot and he nearly vibrated with rage.

So, Wrex did the most responsible thing. He raised up his right hand, palm toward the other Krogan and wiggled his digits at the enemy. It was something he had learned from humans. It never failed to provoke Krogan. Just like this time.

The Krogan commander roared and reached back for his shotgun. Wrex sighed, and threw a biotic wave at it, knocking him over, sending him crashing into the next room.

"Allright," Wrex said, stepping forward and pulling his shotgun. "He will be back in a moment, I knocked him ass over coffee pot, as the humans say. So, come up here Tali," he waived the Quarian forward.

Reluctantly, Tali stepped forward next to Wrex, looking up at the _huge_ Krogan. "Wa-what?" she stammered.

"Pull your shotgun, going to teach you a trick," he rumbled.

Nodding she pulled out the new weapon Shepard had given her.

"Huh, Eviscerator Mark-10. Expensive. Good though," Wrex nodded. If nothing else, he knew weapons. "All right, hold it like this…" As he spoke the Krogan reached down with his huge hands and adjusted her grip.

Tali started as the other Krogan Roared and slammed through she door, cracking the hole wider.

Grunting, Wrex caught the now berserk Krogan's charge in the stomach as he clamped an arm around the Krogan's head, and looked back at Liara, "Hey, throw this guy, alright?"

He waited for Liara to pull up a biotic field before he let his own flare up, lifting the Krogan into the area, where he floated impotently for a moment. "We aren't ready for you," Wrex taunted the other as he gestured to Liara.

With a quiet snarl , Liara left her biotic aura flash forward and impacting into the free floating Krogan. With a flash of aura hitting aura, the two fields reacted together and launched the battle mad Krogan crashing into the other room, this time breaking a hole through the wall next to the door.

Turning to look at Liara, he smirked, "Good shot. Your pretty strong for a young one."

"Well, I do try to be useful," Liara smiled back at Wrex.

"Okay now, squirt," as he turned back to Tali. "This is a good trick to hit _hard_ when you need it. Take your shotgun like this, alright?"

Tali watched Wrex intently, watching his movements carefully.

"Now, pull the trigger, firing your first shot like this," Wrex leveled his shotgun at the wall one handed, just as the Krogan broke back through the wall. When he pulled the trigger it caught the Krogan full in the chest shattering his shields and sending him tumbling back into the room.

"Next, you don't let up on the trigger, keeping it charged right? Noe, pump it twice, don't let go of the trigger still. Now," he gestured at his gun. "You can hear the whine slowly growing right? Now when you let the trigger go, it hits like this." He turned to hold the gun in both hands this time, Just as the Krogan burst back in the room, shrieking. When Wrex let go this time, the shot kicked back into his arms, but he easily held. However, once again the Krogan took the double blast in the chest plate of his armor, ripping it apart and cutting his chest a bit. Which also sent him bouncing off a wall and careening into the dark room again.

"Now, you try," Wrex gestured at Tali, who fired her first shot into the dark where she thought the enemy might be. Hearing nothing to indicate she hit anything, she pumped her gun twice, hearing the same whine Wrex's gun had made.

Wrex nodded, "Looks good, now lean forward, brace with your back foot, yeah, like that." He nodded again as she took the proper position. "Good, now….fire!"

The enemy Krogan broke though the last pillar in the wall separating the room Wrex and Tali stood in, from the, apparently, office, now full of wrecked equipment and shattered tables and chairs.

However, he only got four paces into the room before Tali's shot caught him full in the center of his chest, blowing a much larger hole than it generally did, correspondingly, huge hole out the back of its armor.

As it fell forward, its body slid nearly to Tali, and Wrex's feet, causing Tali to step back slightly.

Wrex looked back and Tali. "So? What did you think?"

Tali stared at the giant Krogan for a minute before jumping up and down in a small circle clutching her shotgun and squealing like a teenage human, but for launching herself onto the Krogan, wrapping her arms as far around her neck as she could get hugging him.

"That was amazing!" Tali yelled hanging off Wrex's neck for a moment before dropping back down.

With a slow nod, he smiled for a moment before looking serious. "You should remember that trick. I learned it from a Quarian soldier, back on Rannoch."

Tali went stock still as she stared hard at Wrex. "Yo-you have been on Rannoch? Before the war?"

Wrex nodded slowly. He was quite aware of the impact his words were having on the Quarian.

 _They suffered enough. Not much better than the Krogan did, but held themselves together, with pride, Wrex thought. "Not like us. Not anymore."_

His thoughts went back to the things Shepard had said about his people. Maybe they did have it in them to be strong again.

"I was paid to help the evac. Geth were less talented now, than they were then, no real strategy, no real skill in shooting yet, though it did expand quickly. And they tended to swarm," Wrex waxed memorial. As I got my assigned ship loaded and launched there was this call in, that apparently a group of children are caught in an ambush. Now, I knew there was no way they were going to make it out, and said so to the Quarian commander I was working with. But the man just shook head, checked out his kit and started out with the small platoon we had, or what we had left anyway." Wrex paused as he rubbed at the scars on the front headplate.

"Well, the guy just calls over his shoulder 'Your job is done, we'll take care of this!' and charged off. And I am not...going to let...a challenge like that down," Wrex stuttered at a part, but it was clear he was still trying to keep his aloof image. "So I followed after them. Now, everybody knows Quarians run the fastest of all the races we know, but they only get that top speed for, two, three hundred meters. They the have to slow down for a while. Krogan however have a good speed, but we have way more stamina long haul, so it wasn't long before I caught up to 'em and caught up with the leader. The two of us have a little conversation about my role in the whole thing. Needless to say, we got the kids out, lost more of our guys till it was just me, and these two other Quarians, and the commander, and he is pretty wounded. Lost a leg, and his left hand as I recall," Wrex mused for a moment before continuing.

"I get back to the shuttle launch and all bloodied up, he showed me the trick he was using. Use it all the time, never disappoints, in all these years."

Tali just stood there, her gun was hanging limp in her hand as she just stared at him through the story. When he stopped, slowly lowered her head to think a moment before looking up.

"What happened to the children? The other two soldiers, the commander?" Tali's voice seemed equal parts desperate and hungry to know more.

Wrex nodded, "The commander and me, we load the kids and the other two soldiers to go with them in a shuttle. From what I heard on the comms later, they made it to the Rayya."

"A-and the commander?" Tali whispered.

"Well, the stubborn bastard was all set to charge back into battle to rescue more civilians. His mate was also a soldier it seemed, but between the two of us we get him sedated and stuff him in a shuttle, the guys mate tosses me a rock and tells me to protect it for their children or some such. I got it in my gear on the Normandy."

"Let's see...his name was…" he rubbed his chin as the thought for a moment before looking up at Tali, straight in her eye. "His name was Corail'Zorah vas Catyn, his mate was Eut'Zorah vas Catyn." Wrex held the Quarian girls gaze a moment before nodding.

"One last bit. He and I kept in touch before he died, which he did as an Admiral. One of the first five. And Zorah women are some of the most beautiful women in the galaxy," Wrex chuckled, giving Shepard a meaningful stare. And naturally, everybody in the room knew what he was inferring. Except the two in question.

Just as he sighs in exasperation, Tali grabs onto his chest and pulls herself close to him and begin to cry, deep sobs. Looking up, Wrex had no idea what to do.

He gave Shepard a relieved look as the Commander peeled Tali off of Wrex, only to have her grab onto him, and cry more.

Over a few minutes, the girl calms down before looking at Shepards face, nearly nose to Visor. They stare at each other for two beats before she threw herself back, holding her arms out, apologizing. "I-I-I am so so-soory, I didn't mean to...I mean on you…."

Shepard just laughed and patted her on the shoulder, in the reassuring manner. "No, Tali, relax," he said with a note of sympathy. "You just heard some heavy things. I wish Wrex had waited for later with the story part." The Krogan just shrugged.

"Alirght," Wrex said, Stepping back up. " Let's get through these robots, and see if we can't find this giant weed."

With meaningful strides Wrex lead the team back out onto the Skyway, where the Krogan stopped and stared for a moment at the Mako. "Ah _Klumtac_!"

* * *

 **Bosh'tet:** Animal, native to Rannoch. With no insect life, other species of life had to fill the niche that on earth fell to the insect. One such niche was the dung beetle. A bosh'tet falls into the category of roller on earth as it moves the dung found to a central location. Though differing in colors, from the green/yellow of the cooler climates to the blue/white in the more tropical areas, they are the same species. Known for apparent inability to distinguish between dung and small rocks, it is considered extremely stupid. Many have been found dead, surrounded by small rocks, as it tried to feed on them.

 _Klumtac_ : A literal pile of feces left behind by Thresher Maws. The feces are known to have giant parasites, roughly the size of a Krogan hand.


	12. CH12 After Feros (Interlude)

Liara, SSV Normandy

As she laid back on her cot in the science bay, Liara thought about the Commander. This was the second time she had joined with him. Both times took a lot out of her. His mind was strong, stronger than any she had encountered, other than her mother.

Mother...Shaking her head, Liara turned to her side and stared at the wall. _What are you doing, mother?_ She couldn't keep the thoughts out. _Why are you helping that madman? I can only believe you are trying to stop him…_ She knew that wasn't true. Not after Saren and Benezia had given Shiala to the Thorian. That was a horrible fate. One nobody should be forced to endure.

At least Shiala had been able to give Shepard the Cipher. Not that it helped with the Prothean visions. If anything, it just made them even more intense. Clearer, yet no more understandable. What once was blurry around the edges, was now sharp, and in focus. But still, The context was lacking.

She had joined with a human man. Twice. Even though it had been on context of helping him understand alien thought processes, not...other reasons...Liara could feel her face grow hot. He didn't think of her that way anyway. Did he? Maybe...he always seemed to value her opinion, but then he valued the whole team's opinion. And she did see him talking to Ashley a lot…

Sitting up, Liara threw her pillow at the wall. It's not like _I_ feel that way about _him_! Right?

Liara sat up, turning so she could put her feet on the floor. She leaned forward, hanging her head and placing both of her hands over the back of her _malliata._ Her mother always said it was undignified and to stop playing with _mallina,_ or they would fall off.

The thought made her smile for a moment. But, again, her mind went to Shepard. She had joined with him twice. She enjoyed it more than she would admit, his mind was like him. Both strong, yet had a gentleness to it. Like the part he showed the world was not who he really wanted to be.

And, only she knew about it. She smiled again as she picked up her plush elcor, Josweena, holding it in front of her and wiggling it's arms. Then she realized, she wasn't the only one now. She frowned at Josweena as she thought about Shiala.

To give Shepard the Cipher, she'd had to join with him. Like Liara had done. Sighing to herself, she knew she was being a silly maiden. Shiala simply gave him information. But Liara was still surprised at the jealousy she felt. She didn't even recognize it _as_ jealousy at first. Not until she joined with Shepard that second time to try to sort the images with the new Cipher.

But...she could feel echos of Shiala still within Shepards mind. Liara _knew_ why. The information was deep and large and required a more intimate connection. And Shepard had a powerful, commanding will. Those two things together would leave impressions. But it also showed Liara how their thoughts had intertwined. And she was jealous because of it.

With a petulant sigh, Liara got up and fetched her pillow, before going back to her cot and sitting again. She then slowly brought the pillow to her face, pressing it tightly against herself, then screamed. She screamed as loudly and as long as she could into the pillow. Then sitting back, panting, she reared back and threw it with all her strength against the wall again. It hit with a loud *thwap* before falling to the ground with a soft *thwump*. It made her feel a bit better.

* * *

John, SSV Normandy, Engineering

Slowly, John stepped his way into engineering, moving like a hunting cat. His stocking feet, padded across the deck making nary a sound. As he slowly approached his prey, he looked at the other engineers in the room, including Chief Adams. Slowly he held his finger up in front of his lips, shushing them. Cowing then with his feral intensity. Again, he began toward his goal. It was locked in his sight and was doomed. He held his breath as he reared his claws back, preparing to strike his poor defenseless….

"I know you are there, Commander," Tali said, casually. Her fingers never wavered from the work station in front of her, and she never looked up.

As the engineering compartment went up in laughter, John hung his head, his shoulder slack in defeat. But at least he could hear Tali's bubbling, happy laugh as well. He quite enjoyed her laugh. It wasn't harsh or grating. It was smooth to the ear.

"What can I do for you, Commander?" She asked, merriment still in her voice, as she turned around to face him.

"Well," Shepard grinned and held up his shield disk prototype. "I have hit a roadblock and need a more skilled engineer than myself. Want to collaborate? If this works you can be on the patent. But after me. And your name has to be in smaller print."

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy, Main Cargo Bay

 _Collaborate?_ Tali's thoughts began to run at lightspeed. _He is having trouble with something and he wants help from_ me? _He wants help from a_ Quarian _?_ Mentally she shook those thoughts loose. _Stop that! He values you and your skills!_

"I get to be on the patent, huh," she said, trying to sound..sassy? Confident, yet funny? Well, something like that. She was probably going to blow this conversation.

Shepard nodded and sat at the table he had set up in the Cargo Bay as his little engineering work shop. Tali had remembered seeing him here before, working on this bit of armor, or that weapon. Even some random bits of things he seemed to pick up along the way. Tali still couldn't figure out how he got it all back on the ship. He didn't have any of the random pockets Quarians had in their suits.

The thought stilled her mind slightly. He really _does_ act a _lot_ like a Quarian. He tinkers with tech all the time. He scavenges parts, takes them apart and repairs others. And it was just like his sister, Jane had said. When things got stuck together, or he needed fine work, or in a crevice, he used biotics. His control was amazing. She wished she could do that. It would be incredibly useful.

She realized she was still standing and just staring at him, as he looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. Tali mentally cursed herself and scrambled into the seat at the work table across from him. She nearly fell on the floor twice before she settled, before she placed her hand on the table in front of her, her hands clasped together, with as much dignity as she could muster.

Shepard chuckled warmly, as he shook his head slightly at her antics. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she couldn't help but grin, herself. She enjoyed his laugh. It was deep, resonating, and warm. It made her feel good to her bones.

The Commander placed the thick disc on the table for Tali to look at. She recognized it as the device he had used when he had saved her from the thugs in that back alley on the Citadel.

The device was about twenty centimeters across and five deep. The outer casing was black and had a large button on top. Around the device were micro emitters. It was simple to infer those projected the field around both her and the Commander.

Thinking about the incident made her blush hard. She could feel the heat in her face and casually wondered why the inside of her visor didn't fog up. She was, at least, glad it was opaque.

"Well, yeah. If you can help me get this working, we share credit. I was kidding about the smaller print stuff," he said cheerfully, before frowning. "I suppose, considering how your people get treated, that joke was in poor taste, I apologize." Shepard hung his head slightly, clearly unhappy with himself.

Tali was actually confused for a moment before it dawned on her. He was genuinely upset with himself for a joke she might have made herself. He seemed to be truly concerned for her. The thought warmed her slightly.

Laughing she waved away the matter. "Please, Shepard, if you get worried about every little thing, you won't be as much fun." He looked back at her, a ghost of a smile on his face. "Tell you what," she continued, feeling bold. "If it bothers you so much, how about my name goes first."

Leaning back, Shepard laughed with her. "Done deal, mis nar Rayya."

Gesturing to the device he explained, "I got the damn thing to work that one time in the alley. Not a peep since. I have been over it again and again, and nothing seems off or broken."

With a tilt of her head, Tali picked up the device, turning it over in her hands, examining it from every angles. "Hmmm," she thought for a moment before glancing up at Shepard. "Mind if I open it?"

With a shrug, Shepard gestured for her to continue.

Glancing at the table, she saw his micro tool set laid out. It was actually the same set she used. The thought made her smile inside her helmet.

Picking up her first tool she opened the case and looked through the interior. It looked...familiar.

"Shepard…" She began. "Is this… Geth?"

"No," he denied, but reached under his table and pulled out a much larger piece of tech that clearly _was_ Geth. "I did, however, base it off this after I took a few of them apart." He frowned for a moment, looking at the Geth device. "Well, now that I think about it, I did take bits out of these things…. "

Tali nodded with understanding. "Okay," she said, peering into the device. "I think I see what is going on. And it is the Geth tech, but probably not in the way you think…" reaching over, she attached two electrodes into the device and linked them to her omnitool. The _new_ omnitool, the one Shepard had gotten her. The thought turned her giddy for a moment before she went back to business.

As she brought up the display she leaned over the table and turned it so that Shepard could see. "Okay, because you used Geth parts, they still had remnants of Geth code within them."

Shepard leaned over the table as well, looking at her screen. "Okay yeah, I see that. I thought it was junk code that would get purged by the data I added to create the field?"

Shaking her head Tali showed him the rest of the code. "I bet it wasn't this long before, right?" He shook his head, negative. "Thought not. What I think happened, is that when you activated it that first time, the power surge kinda...woke? Yeah, we'll go with that. It woke the Geth code."

As he leaned forward more to get a better look at the screen he frowned. "How does that make it grow and stop working?"

With a chuckle, Tali opened a second screen showing the coding Shepard had used to program the device. "See? It's changing your code to match it, as well as expanding its own. Basically, when it powered up, it looked at your code and cannibalized it to repair itself, as much as it could anyway. And now, it's trying to change your code into itself."

Shepard stared at the display for a moment before huffing. "So...I created a Geth intelligence inside my shield emitter?"

Tali laughed, her warm laugh. "No, not an intelligence. Just a stray fragment that is trying to fix itself. It wants to be the standard emitter, like you took, so it is trying to self repair. All we really need to do is fully flush the code, and reprogram it from a blank slate. We adjust a few things and it should work perfect. Then we just need..the...patent…" Tali looked up to see Shepard's face centimeters from hers. She had never seen eyes, let alone ocean blue human eyes this close before. They were...beautiful….

For his part, Shepard chuckled and looked up at her. His eyes locked with hers and they stared at each other for a moment before a clang rang across the bay, startling them, and breaking the tension. They both leaned back quickly, trying to act casual.

"Um..Yes, thanks, Tali," Shepard said cleaning his throat.

"Ye-yes...happy to help…" Tali's hand twined together nervously. "I..Uh..I should get back to engineering. But maybe we can go over it later?"

With a smile Shepard nodded. "Of course. We can go over the patent paperwork while we are at it."

* * *

Garrus, Dr. Chakwas and Wrex, SSV Normandy, Cargo Bay

The trio stood behind the Mako, watching the awkward interaction between the two densest beings on the ship. When they leaned over the table to look at the same screen as each other, Garrus leaned forward, Dr. Chakwas held her breath and Wrex gestured unconsciously for them to be closer.

Then there was a loud crash, and the two targets of their attention shot apart.

Slowly, all three of them turned their heads, nearly as one, and stared daggers at Ashley, where she stood at the armory bench, picking up the dropped armor. As if she felt the stares, she looked up at the group and shrugged her shoulders. "What?"

* * *

Malliata: The back of the head, where the Mallina Come together, and continuing down into ridges along the back of the neck before stopping where the neck and back meet

Mallina: Word for an asari's head crest of semi-flexible cartilage that grow into shape


	13. CH13 Missing Marines

John, Edolus, Mako

"You're doing fine, Tali," John said, flatly, as he sat in the copilot seat of the Mako. He didn't look up from the displays in front of him. He kept an eye on the temperature. The tire pressure. Made sure the window washer fluid was doing swell.

"Are...are you sure?" Tali stuttered. She was sitting in the pilot seat, her back ramrod straight. Every muscle in her body was taut with tension, it practically rolled off her like a cloud.

"Oh, c'mon Shepard, don't be an ass," Garrus laughed from the turret seat. "Like we all said, last time she didn't get to drive because of the Skyway. Now we are on a nice flat plane. It's good for her to get some experience."

Shepard grunted and waved a hand vaguely in Garrus direction.

Tali swallowed audibly as she drove the tank in a straight line. A perfect straight line. John found it rather impressive. Except it wasn't quite where they wanted to go. "Adjust, mark 2.12."

"Adjusting to mark 2.12…." Tali's finger danced over the controls, bringing the vehicle to the proper vector.

"You know, Tali," John leaned back and looked to her for the first time since this trip started. "We _are_ in an M-35 Mako. You don't have to go around _every_ bump and hole. The tank can take it."

If it was possible for a Quarian to go from tense to tense-er, Tali managed it. "Umm, well….I...It's my first time. Driving, I mean. A Mako. Well, anything really. So I am nervous. And the back is full of my frein.. Uh, my team, so...I want it to be comfortable for them?"

With a slight grin Shepard rubbed the back of his neck. "Your...team, huh? Well, trust me, you are doing fine. Better than most I would say."

Some of the tension in the girl seemed to drain away, her shoulders relaxed a bit, her back not quite a steel pole. "Thank you, Shepard!" Her voice was bright for the first time since setting down.

"Yeah, next time we are out, I'll walk you through some of the combat drills I use, get some real practice in," John smiled warmly as he settled back into his seat, and returning to the sensor boards.

He didn't notice the team in back exchange startled looks.

* * *

Garrus, Edolus, Mako

As the turret rotated, Garrus examined the lay of the land. It was oddly...flat. Not that planets didn't have flat places. After all, there were plains, prairies...other flat….places. This one was just...off...somehow. Maybe it was that it looked almost circular. Whatever it was, it made his plates itch.

Although, with Shepard _not_ driving, it was a _much_ more relaxing trip. He actually got to look around a bit. Take in the scenery. Not worry about falling off a mountain, or bashing his brains out against the inside of the turret.

Shepard, himself, was not particularly happy with the arrangement, and he made that point clear. He sat in the copilot seat and stared at the boards, not talking, except with poor Tali, their sacrifice for the greater good. To her, he communicated in grunts and answers with as few words as possible.

It wasn't until Garrus had gotten tired of the poor girl's suffering and called the Commander on his bullshit did he start to relax. He even was encouraging to the girl. Once he did, it was as though Tali became a different Quarian. She became more steady, and confident. Her piloting became smoother.

Garrus thought they way the two danced around each other was vastly entertaining. Once Wrex and Engineer Adams got involved, it got far more interesting. And more still when Dr. Chakwas and Joker started getting involved.

They all did their best to give them small pushes, here and there. Get them in a room together, maybe start a conversation they both found interesting, rather than watching the pair go off on seemingly random tangents. Garrus tried asking about Tali's people in the long elevator rides on the Citadel, but he ended up insulting her and making them both mad at him. But, at least they were united in it.

Except, the pair themselves? Nothing. No idea. They both were obviously interested in each other. They would probably be an adorable couple. But, no. It was infuriating. He wanted to grab them both by the back of their heads, smash their faces...well, face to helmet, he supposed. And yell at them to kiss and be done with it.

Just as Garrus was getting himself worked up he saw something through his scope. "Hey, Boss, looks like a vehicle, sector 221."

* * *

Wrex, Edolus

As the team exited the tank, Wrex looked around. This was a lot of open ground to have an entire squad of marines go down. Even human ones. They may have been caught in the open, but no enemy could have snuck up on them.

Taking a deep breath, Wrex examined the atmosphere. Toxic to the other races. They all wore breather helmets. Nothing for a Krogan, but then, few things were. The air here, though. It was full of an acrid burning. There were the undertones of the human's' blood, but not as much as her would have expected. Fresh soil and rock. Something...familiar. It teased at the back of his memory.

"This is the squad that Admiral Kohaku was looking for," Ashley said, as she checked the bodies. "They all seems to be shot in the back of the head. Like they were executed."

 _Ashley is an ass._ Was all Wrex could think when ever the human spoke. It had taken him three days, help from the doctor _and_ Adams to get them alone and talking. Then the human _Geringfügigsten HoI._ Then he began to wonder if humans had a version.

He felt the slight shimmering in the earth beneath him.

Wrex looked at his feet, then the terrain. This time, looking at its composition. The ground was hard, rocky, but not boulder strewn. It would be the perfect hunting ground for….No. Why would one be out here?

Still...he hadn't lived this long by ignoring gut feelings.

Turning back to the group he approached Tali first. "Go start the Mako, keep it primed."

Tali looked up at his and blinked. "What?"

"The tank," he explained, patiently. "It's right there," he pointed, patiently. "Get in it and start the engine," he ordered, patiently.

Stepping forward, he pushed the _Geringfügigsten Ho_ out of his way. "Shepard…," he began before another, stronger ripple shook them.

Then Shepard looked up. His head snapped around to look directly at Wrex. They both knew. "Get back to the Mako!" Shepard yelled, pushing Liara and Garrus in front of himself. "Go! Go!"

"Shepard, wha?" "What are you doing?" The two of them complained, as Wrex pushed Kaiden toward the Mako as well. The _Geringfügigsten Ho_ could take care of herself.

The shaking of the ground grew, until some of the team stumbled as they began to pile into the Mako. Wrex stepped un onto the platform as Shepard stood five meters away, staring. He knew, just as Wrex knew, what was coming. And where it was coming from.

"What's going on," the _Geringfügigsten Ho_ complained.

Wrex could clearly see Shepards hands, wrapped around his rifle. They were perfectly still. The expression on the human's face was universal. He had a hate on. Things were going to get bloody.

Wrex grinned hugely. This was going to be fun…..

He turned into the tanks and gestured to Garrus. "Get that turret warmed up. We have a fight coming."

A hand grabbed Wrex by the arm and attempted to pull his around to face her. He didn't budge. He _did_ however, turn to look down. "What do you want, _Geringfügigsten Ho_?"

In the front Liara stifled a laugh. He had had a feeling she knew some of his language.

"What is going on?" she demanded again.

"Fight of your life girl."

"And _what_ does that even mean?"

'Ha, ha," Wrex laughed, sending a shiver down the spines of the people in the tank. "Thresher Maw."

* * *

Tali, Edolus

"Gun it!" She heard Wrex yell from behind her. And Tali's fingers flicked across the control, launching them forward.

As they began to move, she noticed the flashing red light, indicating that the rear hatch was still open. _What could be the problem…_ She glanced over her shoulder to see Wrex standing on the lowered ramp, shot gun in one hand.

Then behind him, standing as if windowed by the door frame, stood Shepard. As they..no.. _she_ drove away, leaving him there.

Wrex looked back into the vehicle to look over the team, but Ashley kept yelling at him. Then he called her something, probably rude, judging by Liara's reaction, before looking up and saying two words that nearly froze the heart. "Thresher Maw."

"Shepard!" she yelled. All she could think about was them leaving him to some monster. She turned the tank hard, so she could go back for him.

"No!" Bellowed Wrex. "Go Straight! Turn hard left in two hundred meters!"

"But! Shepard is still out there!"

"Yes! He has demons to face. If we are going to happen, circle. Whe have to draw it's attention to us, while we can out manuver it. Draw it off Shepard!"

"Ancestors, guide me…." She did as Wrex demanded, arcing the Mako as hard a left as she could at the designated time. The wheels skidded to the side as the monster burst from the grounds right where they were about to be.

The giant worm like creature was on massive proportions. It's four mandibled mouth could easily catch up and crush the Mako, if it got the chance. Tali was sure that there was no way to defeat the creature.

And then it spit. It spit a huge ball of acid, that spattered on the side of the tanks shields, depleting them greatly.

Banking again she heard the Mako's heavy gun open up on the monster, the chaingun, throwing slugs into the thing.

The cannon shells impacted hard into the Maw's carapace, sending small spider-web like pattern forming on it's plate.

Tali spared a moment to glance back at Wrex, who held onto a ceiling support strut and leaned out of the vehicle. He was firing his assault rifle in full bursts and only pausing to throw one biotic power or another as the weapon cooled for the next round.

"Where is Shepard!?" she nearly screamed, fear was clutching at her throat. _Was she leaving him to die? She couldn't. She had to do something!"_

"Come around to mark 45!" Wrex yelled back, pointing. "You'll see him!"

Desperation driving her, she spun the Mako around in a maneuver she had seen Shepard do before. As she came around, she could see the Commander. He was standing atop the Grizzly the dead squad had been using. He glowed in a faint blue biotic field as he fired his weapon into the monster until the heatsink popped, then he dropped it and drew his next weapon, then the next, until he was picking up discarded weapons from the deceased Maries.

Tali saw the monster erupt in front of Shepard, and reared back. The beast's head snapped forward, but a blast of blue biotic energy hit the creature in the side of it head, throwing off its aim.

* * *

John, Edolus

John was down to the last Avenger rifle the fallen squad had. He had emptied every weapon he had, then began on the dead men's weapons, until those emptied too. It was going to die. He was not letting them down! These were his family now. He would protect her this time!

As his rifle hit its heat limit, and the vents poured out steam, forcing air over its heat sink, John looked up into the monster titular Maw, and saw the acid in its mouth churning as it prepared to launch it at him. If it hit, there was no way his shields would be able to handle it…

But, it didn't. A blue ball of biotic energy slammed into the side of the Maw's head, forcing it to the side, just as the acid was spit out. It's shot went wide, spattering on the Grizzly he was currently standing on. He watched in horror as the acid slowly ate into the tanks heavy armor.

John spared a quick glance to see Wrex hanging out the back of the Mako, as it thundered around the Maw. Its cannons unloaded repeatedly into the Maw's armored carapace, drawing its attention away from him, if briefly.

"Shepard!" Came Wrex's voice over his comm. The Krogan sounded relatively calm. Considering the situation and all.

"Wrex!" John yelled. "I hope you have some sort of plan!"

"I do! We're going to pull it around facing you again!"

"WHAT?!"

"Don't be a pyjack. We are getting it to face your direction again. Liara, Kaiden and I are going to hit the thing with a combo we worked up in the last fives seconds. I'm mostly sure it's going to work. Kaiden thinks it's sure to fail, but he's a whiner any way, so fuck 'im!"

Shaking his head, John watched the Mako circle around behind him. "And then what, Wrex?"

"Oh, you hit him with everything you got. You'll know what to do when you see it!" the Krogan said, cryptically.

As the Mako, swung around, the Maw's head rotated facing both John, and the vehicle. As he watched its head reared back, John was fairly certain he was about to die.

When it's head began to strike forward, it reminded John of the videos of cobras he had watched on the animal documentaries Kelly liked to watch. But then a singularity opened directly into the monster's mouth.

Normally, that wouldn't be enough to really ever slow it down, but then it grew, tripling in size, as John realized, Liara was adding her power to Wrex's. The it surged once more, slightly widening.

As the Maw began to close on the singularity, John let loose a feral grin. One only Wrex could see. And he knew deep hates. Pulling back, John focused every bit of biotic power he could muster, he gathered every bit into a ball in his right hand. Then, with a roar of anger, fear, hate, anguish, sorrow, and everything that followed him from Akuze, he threw it all.

As John's Warp impacted the singularity, the two energies conflicting before exploding in a massive ball of pure gravitonic energy. The shockwave blew the Thresher Maw's mandibles off its body, flying away as the front half of the monster's head rippled before bursting like an overripe melon.

As the great worm fell to the ground, a deep thud, throwing up dust and debris rocked the ground. John looked on it's fallen body. Too many feelings rolled through his body as he turned to see the Mako stopping, his team getting out. The all moved quickly at him. They looked concerned. Except Tali. Tali ran so fast. Far faster than a human could sprint.

As she got to him, he knew she was speaking, he could see her indicator light flashing. He always liked it. It was pretty. Like her eyes. He smiled as he slowly reached up and placed a finger on her light. Then he noticed the finger was trembling. His face felt hot, and wet. His head...hurt…. The world then spun as he dropped, only to be caught by Tali. Her arms wrapped around him, catching his weight. He was a good sized man to begin with, adding on top of that his hard armor. _Quarians must be stronger than I thought…._

He looked up into her glowing eyes. "I love your eyes. The shape is so pretty…." As darkness closed around him. And he fell….

* * *

Geringfügigsten Ho: One that interferes with the plans of their elders or superiors when it comes to arranged matings. Or tribal exchanges. Usually a female Krogan. (Trifling Ho [literally just copied the term in google translate. I thought it was hilarious])


	14. CH14 Missing Marines (After)

Doctor Karin Chakwas, SSV Normandy, Medical Bay

This wasn't the first time she had to deal with a biotic overloading his implants and nearly burning out his brain. This, however may be one of the most severe. At least of the ones that didn't just flat out die.

As she monitored his vitals, she increased the sedative in this IV slightly. It wouldn't do to have him wake up before his brain healed. _The way he is he would immediately jump up and start trying to mentally bench press the Mako, or something equally stupid._

With a sigh, Karin turned, opening a drawer and picked up a picture. The image was of a _much_ younger version of herself, next to her was Hannah, the Commander's mother. The man in the picture was Shepard's father. He was tall, broad and blonde, just like Shepard is now. He had the same aura that demanded respect, like Jane's. But he had his own circumstances.

Replacing the picture, she closed the drawer and turned back to the sleeping Shepard. "Think you and your sister got your subboness from the both of them," She muttered to herself.

 _Sorry, Hannah,_ she sent the thought to her friend. _I couldn't keep as much of an eye on him as you wanted.._

Sitting at her desk, Karin poured herself a small glass of brandy. Sipping it, she began to go over some charts and paperwork she had let pile up the last couple of days. It was the small motion at the edge of her peripheral vision that made her look up. It was what she saw that made her jump slightly.

"Good Lord! What are you all doing out there?!" she demanded, Staring at the group huddled at the windows trying to peek in, probably to see the Commander. It was an amusing tableau, if nothing else.

Tali had her hands pressed up against the window, her helmet resting on the plasti-glass window as she tried to peek through. _Wonder if her visor is made of the same substance,_ Karin mused to herself. Though she could see the fear and desperation in the girls glowing eyes.

Garrus wasn't much better. He was standing to Tali's left, only one hand on the window, his head not quite against the glass. _He denies it. But I think is better friends with Shepard than anyone else on the ship. Except maybe Tali,_ she amended.

Ashley and Liara made the weirdest part of the scene. Liara was the closest to the right of the window, not quite overlooking Shepard. Ashley was right there next to the Asari, leaning slightly against the other woman. They both had slight frowns as each was slightly pushing the other back and forth. Nothing violent just small pushes here or there. It reminded Karin of siblings on a long trip. 'She's touching me!' 'No, I'm not he's on my side!' 'Stay on your side!' 'Mom, she's hitting me!' Karin could almost hear Jane and John, when she and Hannah had taken the shuttle to Mindoir.

Leaning back in her chair, she regarded the group John had gathered. It had broken Hannah's heart when she had to send John away. She fought tooth and claw to let him stay with her. It even damaged her career. In the end it took her, Karin and Anderson to pull the strings to let him go to Mindoir to be trained by Hestalia. The Asari probably pulled some string of her own. Karin was fairly sure that Hannah's wife was more than the simple commando turned mercenary.

"Look at them now, Hannah," Karin said to herself. "Jane is the youngest Captain in Alliance history. She demands respect from her crew, and they give it. She demands their best and gives her best back. She rewards those that strive for the best, even if they don't quite make it, and she ignores those that don't. And her crew love her for it, even if they fear her some as well."

John though. John still has that raw charisma that just makes those around him want to be better. To give everything to help those that need it. He turned an angry Turian into an effective, cool headed friend. He took a young Quarian, despised by every other race and taught her there was kindness in the galaxy. That she still matters. And she was falling in love with him. Even if neither saw it.

Ashley was a soldier with a chip on her shoulder. But now she was sharp. Focused. She wasn't hiding behind her wounded pride. She was letting herself out. Even as she was drawn to the Commander, she was becoming herself, instead of General William's granddaughter.

The Asari, Liara, was in a situation like Tali's. She was young and naive, but desperate to prove herself. Her power may have been strong before, but now they grew more than she, herself probably realized. She wanted to please Shepard. More and more, since they did the joinings. She and Shepard probably had a much deeper connection than she, or he, were aware of. Though...Karin didn't think John viewed it as romantic. Not the way Liara did.

Wrex though. Wrex had probably changed the most. He was an angry, lost being. He didn't care about anything. He was just waiting for the galaxy to kill him. But nothing had been strong enough yet. But somehow, John had cracked his shell. Wrex began to let things slip. Bit by bit at first, then over time, John prodded the giant Krogan until he gave in. She would dare say, that Shepard knew more about Wrex than anyone else alive.

But it wasn't until he had given Wrex back his grandfather's armor that Wrex had truly come out. He began to talk to the crew more. He had already taken Tali under his wing, so to speak. But now he had begun to seek her out. To teach her how to handle her shotgun, to upkeep it. Better tactics, how to use cover. Karin was relatively sure that she had seen Wrex teaching the Quarian _Kampf'adean_.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Wrex simply entered the Medical Bay. "How's he doing doc?" he asked, straightforward as always. He still denied it, but Karin was sure that Wrex cared more for Shepard than he had ever dared care for anyone in a great, long time.

She hald up a hand to the Krogan and turned to the window, and caught the attention of the small mob with a gesture. As the whole group looked over at her, she reached out and pushed a button. The windows into the bay slowly darkened. Karin could not suppress the smile of cruel enjoyment as she saw the expressions on their faces.

Swiveling in her chair she motioned to a seat across the L shape of her desk from her, and waited for the massive Krogan to settle his bulk down. She was almost certain she heard the chair whimper.

"He will be fine," Karin slipped back into Doctor mode. "Probably. He has the human L-3 implants. I am not sure if you know what those are…" she paused. When Wrex shook his head, Chakwas nodded. "Thought not. Short version, it's the third version of the implants used in humans. Kaiden has the L-2, but they are unstable and have a history of side effects, some terrible. Kaiden is lucky with only migraines."

Wrex grunted and nodded. He accepted the Doctor's personality shift and moved on. "Kaiden is stronger than I thought then. Still has the presence of a tissue paper."

Chakwas smiled. "Well, Shepard's implant are the much safer L-3, not as strong, but more stable and almost no side effects."

"Krogan don't have implants, so this means little to me," Wrex waved a hand, urging her to get to the point.

"I am aware. Krogan, like Asari and Drell, do not require implants to use their biotics. But for humans, Quarians, Turians, and pretty much all the other races I can think of, they _do_ need implants to work properly. Except for the Commander here."

Blinking, Wrex looked at Shepard's unconscious form. "Thought you said her had those L-3 things or something."

"He does," Chakwas nodded, glancing at the man as well. "But not for the reason most humans get them. Before the implants he was able to smash entire shipping containers, full, mind you, aside with a wave when he was a child. He was lifting his families rover when he was thirteen."

"Sounds like a powerful biotic. What's your point?"

"The point is, he didn't have any safeties. As I had biotics explained to me once, it's that it is sort of like a muscle. You have to work it, and gain strength and control over time." Chakwas paused as Wrex nodded his confirmation.

"Well," she continued. "John hasn't had to do that. He was _always_ on, as it were. He came out the gate at full power and did not know how to dial it back. The implants and training by an Asari commando helps him pull it back and not burn apart his brain in a sudden flare of power."

Nodding Wrex contemplated the Doctor for a moment. "So…" he began. "It is like how a muscle is able to do a great more than it puts out, because otherwise it would do damage to itself, but Shepard's biotics doesn't have that natural reflex?"

"Exactly," Chakwas nodde. "A lot of what he has been doing on this mission so far has been a burden on him, biotically. He keeps going, when he should not. And uses more of his power than he should at a time, with not enough rest between missions to heal fully.

Wrex leaned back in his seat, eliciting another groan from it. "Explains why his biotic aura has almost no flares, and looks almost like a forcefield," Wrex said, impressed. "He has more control of it that anybody I have ever seen, except an Asari Commando I fought once. Must be a similar technique."

Chakwas shrugged. "Be that as it may. I am keeping him sedated for the moment. His brain need time to heal after this last stunt. His implants overloaded and nearly cooked him from the inside out."

"Tell you what, Doc," Wrex leaned forward again, this time resting his arms on her table. "When he gets out of here, I'll teach him some Krogan biotic routines. Might help toughen him up some. I'll also do what I can to stop him from using his biotics where I can." Then he grinned. "I also have a drug that will put his biotics to sleep for a while. Might give him time for his brain to put itself back in order."

Blinking, Chakwas narrowed her eyes. "I have not heard of such a drug…."

Wrex laughed. "You wouldn't have. It's more of a poison really," as the Doctor frowned at him, Wrex held up a three fingered hand. "Hang on a moment. It was designed by Warlord Okeer. He may be a hated name to my people, but he was a ridiculously talented scientist. He designed the poison to be used against Asari, during the Rebellions. It knocked out the biotics for a time. Was a hell of an advantage during the fighting."

Leaning back, herself, Chakwas looked skeptical. "And how do you know it's effect on humans."

"Bounty hunting," Wrex replied with a shrug. "How else? Hit a human biotic that was off her mind with Red Sand. She already was as strong as an Asari, but the Sand kicked it up to another level. Made her even more dangerous. Young human, female, shaved head, covered in tattoos. She was seriously ripping up a Hannar space station. She was duking it out with some Blue Sons and some agents from some clandestine human group. Didn't bother to figure them out. But, either way, While she was fighting them I decided I have enough of trying to force my way through her fields, so while she was holding off the Sons, I went around behind her and hit her with a dart of the drug I was telling you about. Her fields collapsed and I just hit her on the back of the head. Handed her over to the Suns, got paid, and pissed off those other agents. They were shady anyway."

Chakwas shook her head a moment bringing herself back to reality. "My, Wrex, you can really tell a story. What happened to the girl?"

"Sons took her off the station. Quickly. The fighting between me and her, did a _lot_ of damage all over the station. Then the Sons made it worse. Then those other guys. Then she popped Sand. The Station was going down. Made it back to my ship and pulled back. Saw the Son's ship and what I assume were the other guys, pull off the station. It, however, crashed into a moon. Hannar brought charges against her I believe, vandalism of all things, but Hannar are Hannar. But the Sons were already taking her to Purgatory. That prison ship. Terrible place, but the girl had killed a _lot_ of people, at least according to the dossier I paid the Shadow Broker to get for me. Don't like going in as blind as most clients want me to be."

"Really? The Hannar called crashing a space station into a moon, vandalism?" Chakwas was stunned at the alien thought processes that had to be involved. "What else did the dossier say about the girl? Was there a reason she was unstable?"

"Oh, yeah," Wrex laughed shortly. "Kid was messed up from the get go. An organization...what was it..ah!" his meaty fist thumped the Doctors desk, making everything on it jump slightly,a nd leaving a small dent. "It was the same one those other guys on the station were part of. Cerberus. Weird name. But assholes. As I recall she was kidnapped as a little kid, and experimented on. Trying to make a human super biotic. Seemed to have worked, at least once.

"Not sure why you humans are always in such a hurry. You just got to Council Space. You people knocked a tooth out of the Turians, which was rather satisfying to see, really. Part of why I like humans so much. But you don't have the patience to build up yourselves. You just do things like with that girl."

Hanging her head Chakwas considered the Krogan's words. "It's true. We push. We push too hard at times. Some people do unspeakable things," she said looking up. "But that's what people like Shepard is for. He, his sister, his mother. His father, before he left. All try to make the galaxy better, by stopping those that would do what happend to that poor girl."

Wrex just shrugged again. "Well, not like your people have a monopoly on terrible behaviors. The Genophage was a bit rough."

Chakwas nodded. "It is a travesty. That is probably why we have Commander Shepard," she gestured to the unconscious man.

Wrex fixed the Commander with his gaze for a long moment. "You are probably right Doc. He has pulled a rather...diverse...group. Got all the races working together. Making us think about what has been and what could be. If we would only be brave enough to reach for it…."

The a small smirk pulled up the side of the Krogan's mouth. "On another topic. The _Geringfügigsten Ho_ probably messed up the last 'incident' on purpose. But I think I have another idea….."

Leaning forward, Chakwas began her collusion with the Krogan Battlemaster, and his plans for love.

She would have to remember to look up that phrase he had called Ashley later.

* * *

Kampf'adean: Krogan hand to hand fighting skill. Kampf'adean was developed by Krogan from the low valleys of Tuchanka. Smaller than most of the surrounding Tribes and Clans, their skill in battle and relatively calm, calculating, for a Krogan, style of battle left them a force that was never conquered until the Genophage. To this day, Clan Raik still demands and receives great respect.

Geringfugigsten Ho: Reference to a Krogan that interferes with the plans of their elders or superiors when it comes to matings for her own benefit . (Trifling Ho [literally just copied the term from German in google translate. I thought it was hilarious])


	15. CH15 Mail Interlude

-  
To: Commander John Shepard

From: BluBioticGodess_2170

Subject: Send me stuff!

Hey, Johnny, I swiped your email from Mom when she visited last week. Jane came by last month, When are you coming?

Anyway, you are SUPER popular right now. I am totally the envy of all my friends right now! Well, actually everybody at school keeps asking me stuff, even the teachers!

We all saw you on the vids, it was awesome! The Councillors sounded kinda like jerks though, especially that Turian one.

Oh! I saw that you had a Krogan with you! He looked huge! Is he really that big? Dad says she knew him once. She wouldn't say anything else about it though, so I guess it was some deal from her mercenary time. Like, Dad thinks I still don't know about that. Isn't that so lame? She treats me like a kid. I mean, I can lift the rover up now with my biotics and mom and dad still won't let me have an amp.

That reminds me, so, the other day I was walking home with Becky and Ketra (she's Turian, her family moved here a couple months ago, so you don't know her), anyway, so we are walking to our house from school, and Tommy Jeskal, like totally drove by on his stupid bike. He was yelling stuff at me and Ketra. Something about me and azure? I don't know, I mean, I know I am blu, c'mon! But he was yelling about how Ketra was a lizard monkey. I mean, really, Turians are descended from avians, duh! But then he said you were a traitor to humanity and saying that you were an alien lover, like, that was a bad thing? But he was making fun of you and Ketra, so I used my biotics and pushed him into the Henderson's rice paddy.

Then he like, pressed charges. And it was a big deal. That's actually why mom came home…. I had to apologize and stuff, but he just went off again about how aliens were demons or something. I don't even know. I heard mom talking with dad, and the Jeskals are Terra Firma? Isn't that crazy? Hendersons didn't mind me tossing Tommy in their paddy. They said I could dump any of the Terra Firma guys into it any time, Isn't that awesome?!

Oh, yeah, apparently it isn't just the Jeskel's. Mom and dad said there are a bunch of those guys here now and I am supposed to be careful. Tried to use it to talk them into letting me have an amp. Didn't work. Lame.

Anyway, come visit, my friends want to meet you! And bring me something cool!

Kelly Shepard

Blu Biotic Goddess

Mindior

From: Commander John Shepard

To: Kelly Shepard

Subject: You delight me

You do realize this is my official Alliance military email, right? Like, I get priority missions and stuff here. I don't even know how you could have gotten it from mom, and I am not going to ask. And I won't tell if you don't.

Well, I am glad you are doing well in school. At least socially. I was always terrible at that. Jane was the social butterfly when we went there.

Yes, the Turian Councilor, is a major Jerk. We will go with that.

Yes, the Krogan on my crew is really big. I don't think I have met anybody bigger. He has a lot of neat stories, and he is really old. Older than your dad, I am pretty sure. Interesting that she knows him. I will have to ask him sometime.

I am impressed you can pick up the rover though! That's pretty great! You are way stronger than me! Don't break it though. Mom and dad get really pissed if you do that, trust me.

I am sure mom and dad will let you have an amp when you are ready. I know, that is what all adults say, but it's true. I was begging for an amp forever too.

I am displeased...to hear about Tommy Jeskel. He was a tool when we went to school, and I am sorry he felt the need to go after you. Don't tell dad, but I am proud of you for standing up for yourself. I think pushing him into the paddy is awesome!

I want you to tell me if the Terra Firma people start getting loud or threaten you, okay? It is super important to me.

And I am an alien lover. I have a Turian, a Krogan, an Asari, and a Quarian on my team. We are taking down bad guys every day.

And I love you too, Blu Biotic Goddess, you take care of yourself and dad.

John Shepard

Commander

SSV Normandy

PS I will try to find you something good.

To: Commander John Shepard

From: Hesti_Shepard

Subject: What is in your head

Do you really feel the need to tell your sister it's awesome to push people into rice paddies? I also think telling her that the Turian Councilor is a jerk might not be the best idea either. I had to do some fast talking so she didn't get detention.

At least you didn't encourage her about the amp. She actually seems to have backed off the subject, so thank you for that. Hannah and I think she is getting strong enough without it. She is almost as strong as I am. I think she is going to be a powerhouse when she grows up.

Don't worry about the Terra Firma nut jobs. I'll keep an eye on them. If it looks like too much trouble, I'll let you know, but they are just loud fools who drink a lot of beer and blame other people for their problems.

Also, try not to mention me to Wrex, please? He's not in the brightest part of my mercenary time. But knowing he is with you actually makes me feel a bit better about this Spectre business. He is a strong warrior.

Now for the sappy part. I know how you hate it, so I will keep it short. Your mom and I are incredibly proud of you, John. You have done so much, and come so far. I knew you were destined to be great. Even if you flipped our rover into the house that time.

Hestalia Shepard

Proud Parent

Mindior

PS Don't get Kelly anything that shoots or can explode. She is already is saying that she wants to be a marine like you when she gets older.

To: Nit Citsal

From: Urdnot Wrex

Subject: Monies Owed

You still owe 18,000 credits for the job I was contracted for. It is a matter of principle that I encourage you to make payment as soon as you are able. Perhaps by the end of the standard month.

In case you thought about _not_ paying your debt. I would like to inform you that I am currently working with a Council Spectre, and thus have access to resources needed to assist me in locating you. I am also allowed certain leeway in many legal matters.

Urdnot Wrex

Pest Elimination

To: Admiral Shala'Rann vas Tonbay

From: Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

Subject: Amazing!

Aunty Rann, I am on a human ship! It's a brand new one, with some secret things on it, so I can't tell you any details, but it is simply amazing!

The humans on the crew are almost all really nice people. They avoided me at first, but now they talk to me without calling me names or are even letting me work in engineering! They listen to things I have to say! When an issue came up just yesterday, I mentioned how we handled the problem on Flotilla, and we adapted it to the ship, and it worked!

I saw the vid of the Human, Shepard, becoming the Human Spectre, and I am in the vid for a bit, so I can tell you I am on his ship. It's dangerous work, and kinda scary, but it's important. He didn't force me to go or anything, I asked him to let me go with him, and he said okay.

Shepard is so nice. He never talked down to me, or yelled or anything. He always looks me in the eyes when he talks to me. I'm a little unsure how to react to him. He comes to talk to me sometimes. I mean, he does rounds to talk to all his crew, but when he comes to talk to me he asked questions about Quarian, and our culture. He seems actually interested. He remembers what we talked about last time and everything. Sometimes we talk about engineering stuff. He is pretty smart, especially for a human.

I am sure I will be able to find the perfect Pilgrimage Gift!

Anyway, I should go, my shift in engineering starts soon.

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

Engineer

SSV Normandy

PS I have written Father, but he has not responded, has he gotten my messages?

To: Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams

From: Hillary Williams

Subject: Commander Hottie

OMG Ash! I saw the Shepard vid, and totally saw you in the background. That commander is SO hot! How do you stand it? I'd be trying to jump him every time I saw him!

Does his ass look as good in person? Have you gotten to see it out of armor? Maybe you could pull the "Oops, I didn't realize you were in the shower" bit? Get a good look at the total package? Totally send me pics when you do!

If nothing else, bring him home, and I'll take care of it! Yum!

Hillary Williams

Teacher, 3rd grade, Jeremy Mixon Elementary

Sirona

To: Hillary Williams

From: Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams

Subject: Ew!

Ew!

Ashley Williams

Gunnery Chief

SSV Normandy

To: Kaiden Alenko

From: Mr. Anderson Chris

Subject: I want you to contact Anderson Chris

Good Day,

My names is Senator Tallar Murray KORRS, I am written to inform you that the national Assemble under the new regimes of Volus Government has decided to compensate you as one of scam victims who lost his/her fund in the hands of Volus extranet scam artist, as matter of fact your bank draft worth sum of 2.5 million CREDIT has arrived to the System Alliance in the above address,I want you to contact Anderson Chris, His Address Alliance is 768 forest Ridge Coln Marietta Jellma 30067 (Alliance) with his email address (andersonchris284 ), He will tell you what to do and receive your bank draft today or tomorrow because the package is already in Eden Prime (Alliance).

Your Sincerely

Senator, Ben Murray Bruce,

His Contact E-mail, (udokammafirst )

To: Garrus Vakarian

From: Solana Vakarian

Subject: Mother

Garrus, you need to come home soon, at least to visit. Mom has been asking about you. She is asking how school is going, and she is excited about your term in the military.

The doctors are not a lot of help right now. They are saying the medications she is on right now will slow down the progression, but it might start getting bad soon. Maybe in the next couple years.

Sorry, i know you are busy, we saw you with that Human Spectre. Mom was excited to see you on the vids. Dad, of course, just grumbled about C-Sec. I'm proud of you though. I am glad to see somebody recognizes your talent.

Anyway, visit when you can, otherwise take care.

Solana Vakarian

Palavan


	16. CH16 Remember Me

John, Citadel, Presidium Commons

"Shepard? Are you alright?" John looked up at Liara while rubbing his temples.

"Fine. Head still hurts though," He looked up and slowly blinked several times. "Also, it's strange not to have the biotics buzzing in the back of my head."

Tali lifted her hand slightly, as if she were going to reach out to him, but she stopped herself. "I can't imagine what it would be like."

Looking back down, and over at Tali he smiled, reassuringly. "It's not so bad actually. Just strange. Sort of….like having your arm fall asleep. You know it's still there, you can kinda feel it, but not really."

"I...have no idea what that means," Tali shook her head. "How can an arm fall asleep?"

"Oh…" John stopped and thought about it. "It's a condition where, if you press on a limb in certain ways, the feeling goes away and goes numb. Then when you stretch back out, feeling slowly comes back, but it's a kind of pain."

Liara gasped a little," That sounds horrible!"

"Humans are strange," Garrus chuckled.

"See, if you have a secondary nervous system…." Wrex began.

Tali clutched her hands together in front of her chest, taking half a step forward. "Are you alright then? It doesn't damage your limbs?"

"Heh," John chuckles, then winced. "I'll be fine. It isn't a big deal. When it's a limb, it's just a nerve that gets squished kinda, so it turns off, and slowly the rest of the nerves in the limb shut down. So, then when you unkink it, the nerves begin to wake up, firing off, sort of to make sure everything is working."

John shrugged again and looked at his team. "At least I think it's something like that. It's been awhile since I looked it up. I assume though, that this doesn't happen to any of you?"

He was met with a chorus of nos, and laughed quietly. "Great. Humans are the only species with ears and limbs that can fall asleep if you kneel too long."

"Enough with how strangely made humans are," Wrex rumbled as he looked around. "I want to eat, and the Presidium is full of pretentious assholes." He eyed a Salarian that had been giving them a disgusted look.

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea. I heard about a place that does good levo and dextro food. It's down in the Lower Wards," John nodded, trying to keep a cheerful facade. His temper was short enough from the head ache, but seeing the looks Wrex, and especially Tail were receiving was beginning to get to him.

Garrus chuckled. "I think I know where you mean. It's a human run place. How did you know about them, Shepard? Been reading about Citadel tourist places? Oh, if we go, keep your guns. It's in that kind of neighborhood."

" ," Wrex grinned. "Sounds like my kind of place."

Throwing a smile at Garrus, "My sister mentioned it once in her letters. She tends to explore the more...seedy places. I think she is following in Mom's footsteps at times."

He was about to continue when his omnitool beeped. Looking at it he smirked. "Speak of the devil…" he said, keying the comm. "Hey sis, what's up?"

"You're on station, right?" John frowned at the urgency in her voice.

"Yeah, what's wrong?"

"I'm send you coordinates, get down here. It's a cargo bay. Hurry," Jane cut the comm before John could say anything else.

John looked up at his crew, his eyes wide with worry as his omnitool beeped again, this time with the location.

"Well," Garrus said with a sigh. "I guess lunch will wait."

Jane, Citadel, Cargo Bay 18

Looking at the C-Sec team around her, Jane bit on her thumb nail. A bad habit. She knew it. But it isn't like she had manicured nails anyway. Besides. It only came up in situations she didn't have control over. So, almost never.

Lieutenant Girard, the lead C-Sec officer, approached her and gestured over her shoulder, towards the bay doors. "It looks like your brother has arrived."

Glancing back, Jane nodded, "About time!" Her voice was loud enough to carry to John. "Get your ass over here!"

As John jogged up, he looked at her concerned. "Jane? What's going on?"

Shaking her head, Jane gestured to the Lieutenant. "He can explain what's going on better than I can."

Girard nodded, "Hostage situation. There is a young girl. She was brought in by a team of Asari Commandos. From what they said, they had cleared out a group of Batarian slavers, and rescued the slaves." Girard frowned in distaste. "They were not in terribly good shape when the Asari brought them in. One of the girls," he gestured over his shoulder at a small pile of cargo crates. "She managed to get a gun off one of the officers and ran. We followed her here, but now she is threatening to kill herself if we don't bring her back to 'the Masters'. Her words."

John scowled and shook his head in disgust. "What can I do?" he asked, looking at Jane.

Jane had gone back to biting her thumbnail and staring at the cargo containers. She was at a loss, probably for the first time in her life. Give her ships, and she could out maneuver anybody. Put her in a ring, and she would beat her opponent to a pulp. Even the crew of a ship, that she could command. But regular people? There was a reason she was single and didn't have a social life. But this time...she had no choice. There was no turning away from this.

And she needed her big brother. He always knew what to say, he always was there when she needed him.

"Jane?" she heard from behind her.

"John," Jane said, as she spun to look him in the eye. "It's Talitha."

He frowned at he uncomprehendingly. "Talitha?"

Jane closed her eyes and nodded. "Talitha Capsin."

Johns eyes widened as he stared at her, then shot over to the crates. "Talitha…" he muttered. "How could she be…"

"Shepard?" Tali said, looking at John. "Do you know the woman?"

Jane nodded and answered for him. "From Mindior."

"Spirits…" Garrus muttered. "Wish I could have run into you again under better circumstances Girard." Stepping forward the Turian looked past the C-Sec team, down the cargo bay.

Girard nodded. "Same, Garrus. We have a sniper setup, but we shouldn't need him. The girls is more of a danger to herself."

Garrus grunted. "Girl is traumatized. Getting the Shepards here, was probably our best way of talking her down. Sedative?"

"That's the plan," Girard confirmed. "We were lucky to have both of them on the station at the same time." Turning to the twins Girard stepped to them. "Like Garrus mentioned, we have a sedative. If you can get her to take it, we can get some help for the girl. She's been through enough, we don't want to try darting her, she might be able to kill herself before the drug takes effect."

Closing her eyes Jane tried to push the images out of her mind. The flashes of light. The smell of blood and burning meat. Jerry Haggins, her first boyfriend. How he tried to protect her, but his chest splitting, a blade sinking into him, as a Batarian laughed.

She started as a hand fell on her shoulder. Then she tasted the blood. She had chewed the nail beyond the quick. "I used to babysit her, John," Jane said her voice tiny, even in her own years. She hadn't felt this vulnerable since those terrible days. She had refused to feel it.

"I can handle it Janey," John told her quietly. "I'll get her back."

Going back to his team, he began to hand them his weapons and unbuckling his chest plate.

"Jay Jay...what are you doing?"

Turning around, now clad only in his leg armor and boots, John pulled the shirt he wore under his armor's body glove back down into place. Before he did, Jane saw some of the scars. Mindior. Elysium. They survived together. It's what they did.

"Nevermind," she said, unbuttoning her uniform jacket.

"Umm….What are you two doing?" The Quarian, Tali, asked. Even in this situation Jane noticed the girl looking at John's muscles.

As she stripped down to her tank top, she answered Tali. "We can't be threatening. No weapons, no armor, no rank. She has to _see_ us."

Flexing her shoulders, attempting to work the knots that had formed out, she noticed everybody except John and the Krogan staring at her. "What?"

With a chuckle, John patted her shoulder. "I think you stunned them a bit. You _do_ work out a lot."

Frowning down at herself, she knew what John had meant. But he could have been a bit delicate about it. Her arms were corded muscle, the biceps defined and tight. Her trapezius muscle stood out on her shoulders. Her bust was modest, but her stomach was flat and had a solid six pack of muscle. She may not have been a marine, but she worked harder than most of them.

"John."

"Yeah?"

"You're an ass."

"I know."

Jane ran a hand through her red hair and noticed, to her bemusement, her brother ran his hand through his blonde hair. She shook her head. Sometimes they were weird. Even for twins.

Stepping up beside her, John looked at her. "Ready for this?"

Glancing at John, she snorted. "No. But let's go anyway."

With a nod, they both began to walk slowly down the cargo ramp, their hands held up, showing they were unarmed.

"Don't! Leave her alone! Let her go back to the Masters!" A scared girl cried. As the siblings stepped around the crates, they stopped well away from the girl, so they didn't startle her.

Jane saw the gun first. Standard C-Sec issue. But it was the girl that drew her eye. She was a wisp of a thing. Small, clearly malnourished. Her head was shaved and had the terrible scars from the Batarian implant chips. She was crouched, like a scared animal, afraid of getting beaten. Scars and scratches covered her exposed face and arms.

"Just leave her alone…" The girl, Talitha, cried, pointing the gun shaily at the Shepards.

"Talitha.." Jane started, but the girl screamed.

"NO! NO! Animals don't have names. She doesn't have a name! Masters put their symbols on her! She screams!" Jane could see the terror in the girl's eyes. She was so lost, broken.

"You're not an animal. Your name is Talitha. Think back. Your parents, they gave you your name," John encouraged the girl.

"She...she remembers a lot of things….Talitha...they called her that...She doesn't remember the rest…" As she spoke, her voice shaking, Talitha lowered the gun.

"What happened to your parents, Talitha?" Jane asked. If she could just face herself, maybe the girl could pull herself together.

"They..There is yelling...They yell at her. Run. Hide! They try to hit the Masters, but the Masters have lights, and hoses…" Talitha's eyes widen with fear. "Daddy! He's melting!"

Clutching at her head, Talitha began to pace a little. "Sh-she doesn't want to remember! Don't make her look! Stupid, stupid…"

"I know it hurts Talitha. But you have to face it. You have to deal with it," John's voice was low, soothing.

"No! When she thinks, water comes out of her eyes. The masters beat her for wasting water...So...she doesn't think anymore…"

Shaking her head, she continued, "She sees them...Mommy and Daddy...They can't say anything to her. They are in the light, melting...she can see the pieces, falling…"

Jane could see tears form in the girl's eyes, but they didn't fall. She wasn't even allowed to cry.

"They tried to save her. But..the Masters...The Masters burned them…" She clutched her head again. "Please, let her stop remembering…"

Jane took a small step forward, looking the girl in the eyes. "Talitha..Look at me, Talitha. We were there on Mindior. They hurt us too. I'm Jane. Do you remember me?"

"No! You're lying! You get beaten when you lie! The buzzing, or the burning! You can't be here!" Talitha brought the gun up again. Now Jane could see anger behind the fear. "WHY ARE YOU ALIVE?!" she screamed. WHY?! WHY AREN'T YOU BROKEN?! Fit only to dig..and carry…

John stepped next to his sister. "It was hard. We had to work, to put ourselves back together."

Talitha sniffed, the gun slowly falling to her side again. "You burned. You cut...but you don't dig...You stood up…she wishes she could stand up."

Taking another step forward, Jane looked desperately at the girl. She had to help this poor girl. She had to fix it.

"NO!" Talitha screamed again. "Don't touch her! She isn't good anymore!"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Jane asked. She felt her own pain there, again, bloody, raw.

"Fires...She saw the fires, and the Masters. They put the animals in the cages. They put the metal to their backs...they screamed. The wires...they put the wires in their heads…"

Talitha turned around and shook. "She tried to stay still, she tried to hide, maybe they wouldn't find her. But the Masters weren't fooled. They laughed at her. Burned her. They put her in the cages….She didn't fight. She was broken. They put the wires in her." Her voice grew distant and she touched the large scar on the top of her head.

Jane knew that scar. The Batarians had devices that cracked the skull, drove control chips into the brain. It was monstrous. She could feel her own anger, and fear.

Jane took another small step forward as Talitha spun around again. "She doesn't want to be in the pens. She lies there. She is quiet when they do things to her."

Again, stepped up beside Jane. "How did you escape?"

"Escape?" Talitha scoffed. "You can't escape! They have chains! The wires in your head...Needles! If you go too far, they take your mind away!"

"But somebody helped you, didn't they?" Jane asked, softly.

"The blue animals. They came and made the Masters explode," Talitha looked at the ground, she shrank back, afraid. "She tried to fix them! She did! She put the purple things and the grey things back inside, but the Masters don't move!"

"You were afraid. They had you thirteen years. You had to try," John nodded sympathetically. _How could he? Talitha should have hit them, screamed at them, tore them apart_ , Jane thought. It was what she would have done...wasn't it?

"She doesn't want to see other animals! They can't be real! If the animals see her then she is real! The chains, the hitting, the wires...They will be real! She doesn't want them to be real!" Talitha shook her head again, this time a single tear leaked from her eyes. "It doesn't happen to her! It happened to another girl! A dirty girl! She's stupid! She deserved it!" she snarled, her voice raw.

Jane feels tears in her own eyes. She never cried. Not after Mindoir. Not after the pain. After John's blood, Hestalia, sitting on the floor. Her blood... it was so blue. Kelly cried, trying to put her hands on her father's stomach where the blood came from. It was somebody else. Another person she couldn't save….She took another step forward.

"It...happened to her...didn't it. They can see her...so she must be real...please...don't let it be real?" Now Talitha fell to her knees begging. She looked up at Jane, tears now coming freely. "Janey? Why? Why is it real?"

Jane kneeled in front of the girls and gathered her into her arms. She hugged the girl to her chest crying along with the girl. They had been missing for thirteen years.

"No…" Talitha struggled weakly. "No, don't touch her...she'd make you dirty…"

"Never, Talitha. You are never dirty!" Janes said, her voice was thick, and her head pressed into the girl's shoulder. "They won't hurt you anymore. I won't let them. Never again!"

John walked forward to kneel next to the girl and Jane. "Talitha. I have something for you. If you take it, you will fall asleep. They will take you to a place that can help you."

Talitha looked up at John, as Jane sat back on her heels and held the girl's shoulder. "Will...she have bad dreams?"

"No, Talitha," Jane said, wiping the tears from the girl's face with a thumb. "You will have dreams of a warm place. And when you wake up, you will be there."

Looking down, Talitha dropped the pistol and slowly took the sedative from John's hand. Swallowing it, she looked back and forth between the two siblings. "Will you take her to the candy store again? Like back then?"

Jane nodded and held the girl as she stared to get drowsy. "It...it hurts to remember...But she...I..want to remember…."

"Of course Talitha. We'll take you anytime you want," Jane was whispering to the girl as she lipped from consciousness. "We'll get you those cinnamon bears you always liked. Maybe we can go to the park again. The pond was repaired…."

John gently laid a hand on his sister's back as she sobbed. At long last. She cried out her pain.


	17. CH17 Dr Seleon

John, Citadel, Lower Wards

He found her in the Seedy Tavern. Not _a_ Seedy Tavern, but _the_ Seedy Tavern. The owner apparently had a terrible sense of humor. And Decor.

The light was, as one would expect, dim. There were soft ready lights on each table and oddly, dark red tablecloths on the tables that were scattered around the room. More private booths surrounded the perimeter, probably so that their occupants could better plan some sort of skullduggery. He had never used that term before, but for some reason here, it seemed appropriate. The floor of the place was sticky with spilled drink, and smell of stale….everything.

A neon sign outside the door had touted both food and drink, for all species. But for some reason John was pretty sure nobody came here for the food.

He approached Jane's booth, dropping himself down across from her. She had looked better. Her hair was unkempt, sweaty, and loosely hanging down the back of her neck. It's normal dark red color was given an eerie sheen. She was still wearing her military issue tank top, but now it was stained with drink, sweat, and if the pressure cut on her right cheek, right in the middle of a growing bruise was any indication, blood. Her dog tags hung down over her shirt, seemingly pulling her head down with their weight.

"Well...That was a thing," John said, leaning back in the seat, and draping his arm over the back of the booth seat.

Jane chuckled quietly as she looked up at her brother. "It certainly was a thing," she agreed.

John raised an eyebrow as he notices the cut on her lip and the small stain of dried blood under her nostril. "Well….did you at least win?"

With a snort Jane tossed back her head, shaking the hair out of her face. "Of _course_ I won. I am kinda insulted you asked," she over enunciated.

"You're over enunciating," he shot back at her. "How much have you been drinking?"

She stopped and considered. "Enough to get in a bar fight in a place called the Seedy Tavern."

"Really? There was a barfight here?" John looked around. The place may have lived up to it's name, but it didn't look like any kind of fight took place.

Jane waved a hand at him. "Yeah, this place has a bar fight almost every other hour. The tables and chairs are made of a cheap plasti-cast. Owner has a fabricator in back, just prints new ones. He takes credits from anybody knocked out to pay for it. He even has a room in back for them to come to."

"Huh," John looked around again, amused. "How does he keep this place from getting raided by C-Sec?"

Jane shrugged as she flagged down an Asari waitress. "Two beers, honey," Jane said, giving the waitress a wink. The Asari seemed to blush slightly as she nodded and headed to fetch the order.

"Been here a lot?" John asked, ruefully.

"A bit," Jane admitted. "That waitress is Kallesta. Something like a hundred and sixty years old? I want to say." Jane paused as the waitress in question dropped off the beers. She hovered a moment and placed a hand on Jane's cheek, giving a disapproving look and shake of the head before moving to other customers.

John watched Kallesta walk away before turning back to his sister. He was a bit worried, but with her, it was better to let her come around on her own. It's something he had learned over the many years of being a brother. The beatings helped.

"She's mute," Jane stated bluntly, taking a pull from her beer. "Had her throat slit by a Turian 'customer'." She made the finger quote gesture. "Found her a block away, a couple years ago. Couldn't get anybody to help me with her, since she had a drug problem. Which is what lead to her, um, situation."

Nodding, John drank from his own beer. It was surprisingly good. Jane noticed his expression and chuckled," I know right? Not the quality you would expect from a shit hole like this."

"Very good," John agreed taking another drink. "Finish your story."

With a sigh, Jane leaned back and took a long drink, then set her bottle down. "I ran into a doctor. A Doctor Chloe Michel. She had a small clinic, took Kallesta there and patched her up. I heard you and Garrus saved her ass. Thanks for that."

"She is a good person. She saved Tali's life when everybody else watched her bleeding out," John frowned down at his bottle. He had a hard time putting up with bigots. Of all types. He had to deal with anti-biotics, anti-human, people upset his mother married an Asari. He did not stand for it.

"Yeah, she is," Jane nodded, pushing her beer around the table with a finger. "She helped Kallesta get off the Sand. Got her cleaned up. I found her the job here."

"Sounds like you invested," John smiled slightly. Jane always was a sucker for hard luck cases, but she almost never made the kind of connections it seemed she had made here. She seemed to keep herself aloof, but she was only fooling herself.

Jane looked up at John with a scowl. "Yeah, kinda. We had a fling, couple of months on and off again. Nothing serious. Now, we are just good friends."

John noticed Kallesta smile at Jane as she walked by on her rounds. Jane noticed John notice.

"Okay, good friends that occasionally fuck," she grunted. "Seriously, I know how I am. We talked...well, you know what I mean, we went over it together. We like being friends. We like the occasional fuck. Neither of us wants a relationship. Neither of us is in a good place for it."

Holding up a hand, John stopped her. "I get it Janey, really I do."

Blinking a couple times, Jane regarded him. "Yeah, I guess you would." Leaning over suddenly, she placed her hand on one of John's. "So, who do you favor?"

It was John's turn to blink. He was completely caught off guard by Jane's sudden change in direction. "Um..what?"

Dropping her head, she cackled. "I fucking knew it. You are a serious dense motherfucker sometimes, you know it?"

John opened his mouth to say something when there was a shout, a curse and the smashing of glass. Both of the Shepards looked over to see a Krogan grabbing Kallesta by the wrist, a human and Salarian making crude remarks.

"Well, another fight, coming right up," Jane said, cracking her knuckles as she stood. "This is going to be easy with your biotics…."

Standing, John cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "Nope."

Jane gave him a sharp look. "What do you mean 'nope'."

John shot her a grin and tapped his head. "Almost blew my mind apart," he said then held up a hand. "Involved a Thresher Maw, we need to talk about it, this is not the time. Short story, Chakwas has me on some kind of drug that knocks out biotics. She is keeping me down so I can heal up. So," he gestured to his body. "You get to see me in all my masculine glory."

"Ah, shit, we are so fucked…" Jane muttered to herself, as she threw her beer bottle.

* * *

Garrus, SSV Normandy, Citadel Docks

Putting The Great Gear Exchanger back into the proper place on the Mako's wheel was beginning to piss him off. He had been under this damn thing for at least and hour. He could _not_ seem to get his fingers around to the connectors along the top section, between the device and the Mako's shock arm. Garrus had, of course, asked Tali for help, but her response was 'You break it, you buy it'. Which he assumed was some human idiom. She had taken to using a lot of those recently. Usually incorrectly.

Maybe the Geringfugigsten Ho could help…. And laughing, he dropped the engager on his face. That took a bit of the humor out of him, but he still chuckled. When he heard Wrex's nickname for Ashley, he simply _had_ to look it up. And it was totally worth it. For trying to fit himself into the hulking Korgan meat wall stereotype, all muscle and no brains, Wrex was extremely clever. Almost too clever. _No, definitely too clever._

Garrus could hear the lift stopping in the cargo bay, which meant somebody was arriving. Maybe whoever it was would be able to help him….

"Shepard," he heard Wrex say. Perfect! Shepard could use his engineer power to get this thing in place!

"You look terrible," Wrex continued. "I hope you won at least."

"Wrex," Shepard responded with his normal greeting to the Krogan. "Of course I won. I had my sister with me. Had to use my Spectre status to get us out of the mess with C-Sec, and smooth things over with the Alliance brass, with her having been AWOL for a couple days."

Hearing the exchange, Garrus pulled himself from under the Mako, and looked over at Shepard.

"Oh, hey Garrus, was coming down to see you," Shepard said. And he looked terrible, just as Wrex said. He had a bandage over his nose and black rings forming under his eyes. A split lip, and small strips of medical tape over the edge of one eyebrow.

"If you won, the other guy must be dead," Garrus laughed, his mandibles flared in a Turian grin.

Shepard looked down, uncomfortable, and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, Jane and me, we kinda got in a bar fight at the Seedy Tavern…"

"Ha!" Wrex exclaimed. "That must have been a good rumble then."

"Yeah, we heard wild stories about that place in C-Sec," Garrus said, as he stood up, dusting himself off. " We never went there, unless somebody got killed. There was some kind of agreement."

"Well, nobody died tonight," Shepard shrugged, before adding. "Lot of broken furniture though."

"I just bet," Garrus just shook his head. "You said you wanted to see me?"

Shepard's face grew serious suddenly. "Yeah, it's kinda personal for you…."

Garrus felt his mandibles pull in as his good mood evaporated. "Lay it on me."

"Well, when I was there I 'picked up' some information," Shepard locked eyes with Garrus. "We found Saleon."

That was not what Garrus expected. When he had told Shepard about his personal, quest, for lack of a better word, he didn't think anything would come of it. He had just wanted to vent to the Human, get it off his chest. "You're...sure?"

"I am," Shepard nodded. "He has a ship, the MSV Fedele. Word is, he took a bunch of down on their luck people, from every species, and some medical equipment, and took off. I have his transponder code and his planned flight path."

Nodding, Garrus ran a taloned finger under his chin, thinking. "He probably didn't stick to his path, but we might be able to figure out where he cut to a different way by checking the relays."

"Yeah. We are heading out that way in about an hour. The ship is packed up and rearmed, last of the crew should be back by then." Shepard stepped forward to clasp Garrus on the shoulder. "We'll get him."

Garrus looked up at Shepard and nodded again. "I know we will. Thank you Shepard."

* * *

Wrex, MSV Fedele

The fight through the Doctor's escaped test subjects had been...interesting. This Saleon, or Heart, as he was calling himself at the moment, was a twisted bastard, that was for sure. He twisted every species he could get his hands on, and from how it looked, that was pretty much everyone but Quarians.

The worst had been the two Krogan. Not so much how he mutated then, which was bad enough, but they were stubborn things that just wouldn't die. In the end they had to blow out their knees, and while they were regenerating, Shepard, he, and Garrus, stuffed the bodies in an airlock and spaced them.

But fighting their way through the horde, Wrex had been watching the Turian. He knew Shepard was watching as well.

Garrus was fighting like a man possessed. He cut down enemies in his way, standing or lying injured. He just shot them if they were in his path. It would have been disconcerting, if he hadn't seen it hundreds of times. Garrus was in _Shlachtt_ and the battle trance was going to get him killed if he and Shepard didn't watch out for the fool Turian.

After clearing out all the escaped subjects, they came to the room the Doctor had locked himself inside of. One he was reassured that the escapees had been dealt with, the door opened.

Salarian. Figured. If it was a twisted biological project, it was a fair bet that a Salarian was behind it.

For a Salarian, this one was rather short, with a darker than average completion. Either way, he gave off a scent of wrongness. Sick blood and foul ichor.

"Doctor Saleon?" Shepard asked. The Salarian twitched, and Wrex's red eye locked onto him. Wrex flared his pupil slightly, getting a better look at the being, looking down the spectrum slightly. He could see the pistol behind the Doctor's back. Wasn't a danger, so Wrex didn't bother to say anything.

"What? No, no. Heart. Doctor Heart. I try to help people. I'm a good person," Saleon lied, waving a hand in front of himself.

"No," Garrus said, stepping forward and jutting a finger out at the Salarian. "You are a monster, Saleon. I know you. I've been looking for you for a long time. And this time…" Garrus slowly lifted his pistol, aiming it between the Doctor's large black eyes. "Well, this time I'm not with C-Sec."

Garrus was slowly squeezing the trigger, and Wrex glanced at Shepard. Shepard himself was watching Garrus grimly, but his eyes darted to the Krogan and he gave a small nod.

With a nod of his own, Wrex took a step forward and wrapped a hand around the gun, jerking it upward, the shot going into the wall behind Saleon.

Rounding on Wrex, Garrus was angry. "What the hell are you doing?! This, right here is where it ends. He won't hurt anybody else."

"He won't Garrus. We take him in. We have plenty of evidence. He will spend the rest of his life staring at a blank wall in a cell," Shepard stepped forward, placing a hand on Garrus's shoulder.

"No!" Garrus exclaimed, jerking his shoulder away from Shepard, and trying to pull his gun from Wrex's grip. Trying.

"Killing doesn't bring them back," Wrex rumbled.

"What?" Garrus asked, shocked. "You, a Krogan, of all people?"

"Yes. A Krogan," Wrex confirmed. "I was alive during the Rebellions. I was involved in the retributions. Both from the Krogan, and against them. Killing them, slaughtering does not bring anybody back. There is no satisfaction in vengeance."

"It isn't vengeance!" Garrus yelled, stepping into the Krogan's face. "It's justice. And you are an old coward!"

Wrex sighed. He had this conversation many times before. They never listened. "No," Wrex shook his great head, again. "Justice is killing him so that he can't hurt anybody else. Revenge is killing somebody because he hurt others in the past."

Staring into Wrex's face for a long moment Garrus seemed to deflate. "You're right. It won't bring anybody back. It won't lay their spirits to rest and it won't help me sleep better at night." Taking a deep breath, he turned to Shepard, as Wrex released his grip on Garrus's pistol. Let's get him back to the Citadel as soon as-"

Garrus was cut off by the boom of Wrex's shotgun, and the collapsing body of the Salarian scientist.

Looking in disbelief between the Krogan and Salarian.

"I said killing him so he couldn't do it again was justice. Not bringing him in alive. Besides. I already have enough ghosts with me. What's one more?" Wrex collapsed his shotgun again and replaced it on his back as he turned back and stomped back toward the Normandy.

* * *

Krogan Terms

Geringfugigsten Ho: Reference to a Krogan that interferes with the plans of their elders or superiors when it comes to matings for her own benefit .

Shlachtt: A krogan state where the subject loses themselves in the pursuit of a singular goal or enemy on a battlefield. They tend to ignore anything not in their direct path, which can lead them to some very dangerous situations if they don't have a decent team backing them up


	18. CH18 Fluff to Dantius

Author's Note: I am going to pick up the publishing pace a bit. I'll drop at least one a week, probably more, as I feel like it. This story is done and I am starting on the second game. Feel free to give me feedback!

* * *

Jane, SSV Perugia, Citadel

"Captain, We are cleared from dock, and have received our departure order," Flight Lieutenant Fredrick Garcia said, as his hand flipped screen and input commands.

"ETA to free space...approximately...4 hours," the co-pilot Lieutenant Tabitha Penders added. Her own boards alight and moving rapidly.

The Captain stood a few feet behind the pilot's pit, with her arms clasped behind her back. She stood straight, and kept her face neutral. Which was hard. Because every part of her body hurt. Her body was covered in bruises and scrapes. And one hole where some asshole had stabbed her in the side with a broken bottle. She knew her face wasn't much better. She had a butterfly strip on her cheek, covering a pressure cut and another on her forehead, just below her hairline. Her lip, on the right side was still a bit swollen, and she could taste a little blood if she spoke too quickly or opened her mouth too wide.

But she would be damned if she showed any weakness before her crew.

Skimming through data, Penders glanced back at the Captain. "Change of plans Ma'am. Another ship has been given priority in departure line. We have been moved back to eighth place. New time to free space, now, 6 hours."

Jane frowned and grunted. "Any idea what asshat is so important, they get to jump the line? I want to send the bureaucrat a nice fruit basket..." Grinding her teeth, she was unable to keep the irritation out of her voice. Her head hurt too much for that.

"Umm, yes Ma'am," the junior officer in the communications pit called.

Turning, Jane strode over to the woman, no, this was a girl. Must be new. "Don't say 'Umm' on my bridge Ensign Eleanor, this is not a humming competition."

"Umm- I mean, yes, Sir, I mean Ma'am!" The ensign cleary had heard the rumors. _And in the condition I am currently in, she must assume them to be true. Which they are. Most of them. Well, might as well terrify the girl. If nothing else, it should improve my mood._

Jane's voice dropped a couple of octaves as she leaned down and placed one hand on the back on the Ensign's seat. She could see the girl's eyes dart to Jane's bruised knuckles. "How about you take a deep breath. Then think your way through, exactly, what it is you are going to say. I don't care if you say 'Sir' or 'Ma'am' to me. But you _willI_ pick one, and you _will_ stick to it. Do you understand me?" Jane's voice grew quieter and colder as she spoke, her face inching closer to the Ensign, until they were only a few inches apart, the poor girl leaned back slightly.

Garcia, turned around in his seat, so he could watch the interaction, meet eyes with Penders, also turned around, next to him. His eyebrows rose, expressing his sympathy for the poor new girl. Penders, her own eyes rounded nodded, and looked back to the gruesome display.

Swallowing, Ensign Eleanor's eyes darted around the bridge, searching for help, like a cornered animal. But to her dismay, every time she locked eye with someone, the person would suddenly find something of interest at their own station.

"Ensign," Jane said, her voice was now a quiet conversational level, and had a bit of that overly fake cheerful, that only those in a higher rank, talking to a lower rank, when that lower rank really screwed the pooch, could have.

Eleanor's eyes shot back to the Captain, and if possible, grew even bigger, as she actually started to shiver.

Captain Jane Shepard, leaning over this Ensign, that just happened to catch her ire, smiled. A low lazy smile, that grew slowly. It widened, its corners tilting up. It widened more until it stretch almost inhumanly wide, baring her teeth slightly. It reminded Ensign Eleanor of a wolf, preparing to eat a small mouse.

"Hee hee," Jane chuckled quietly. But somehow it echoed across the whole of the bridge. Eleanor realized that the room was silent. Nobody was even using their boards. "Esign Maiara Eleanor. Cuervo colony. Ons sister, going to school to be a doctor. Attending the Youlata School of Medicine. On Sur'kesh. Must be smart. Your parents must be proud of her."

"Ye-yes, Ma'am…" Eleanor nodded slightly.

"Good, good. Now, dear. Try not to stutter, hmm?" Jane had become friendly. But there was that feral smile. The smile that didn't reach her Deep Ocean blue eyes. The eyes bored into Eleanor's skull like lasers.

Eleanor fought to control her shivering, and was able to keep it to just her hands, in her lap. "Yes, Ma'am. The ship that was pushed ahead was the SSV Normandy. It was pushed ahead of all Exit Lanes from the Citadel under Spectre authorization. Ma'am."

With a nod, Jane suddenly stood up straight, with a curt military nod. Her entire demeanor had shifted in the blink of an eye. She was the cool calculating Captain of the ship. Her hands went behind her back and clasped there. "Very good, Ensign. I knew you could do it."

Turning, Jane walked to the Command chair and sat. Her gaze passed over the entirety of the bridge, and as it passed, the crew leapt back to work.

Nodding to herself, feeling much better, Jane brought up her omnitool and signed into the ship's 'underground' social BBS.

 _Colonel Bettington, Ensign Eleanor's First Fuck Up, is now complete. Call the bets and distribute._

 _Field Marshal Informant-1_

Around the bridge there was a series of pings, accompanied by either groans or quiet cheers.

Letting herself have a quiet chuckle, a thought occurred to her. And that wolfish smile reappeared. "Lieutenant Garcia."

Stiffening, he nodded. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"You stand relieved of hand to hand duty." Jane's pronouncement was met with a deep, relieved sigh from the man.

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you. It was a pleasure learning from you." Garcia nodded again. But there was genuine thankfulness in his voice. He _had_ learned a lot. And he was probably in the best shape of his life. He never even grazed the Captain, though.

"Any time Lieutenant. Feel free to make the request and I will be happy to teach you more," Jane said. She meant it. Teaching people actually made her feel very good. Watching them grow in skill, filled her with joy. Different than her enjoyment of strategy. Especially, martial arts. Probably, because she enjoyed hitting people, and she didn't have John to use as a sandbag. He was the only one to give her a challenge, other than their teacher, Hestalia.

"Now," Jane continued, clapping her hands. "Ensign Eleanor. You are now assigned to hand to hand training with me personally. I have high hopes for you."

"Ye-yes…" Eleanor cut off as the Captain's head snapped around to her. Jane's eyebrows were in a staight line, the rest of her face hard set. "I mean, yes, Ma'am. It will be a pleasure Ma'am."

With a genuine smile Jane nodded. "Very good Ensign. You are learning. You'll be a member of the Wolf Pack yet."

A new message was posted to the underground boards a few seconds later. " _All hands, Execution of Communications Ensign Maiara Eleanor to commence at 1600 hours, tomorrow. Odds stand at-_ _2 mins. 2 to1, 5 mins 8 to1. 8 mins 15 to 1, 10 mins 50 to1. Additional bets- Not able to fight back at all: 5 to 1, Receives total knockout: 3 to 1, Wets self: 2 to 1, Dies Bravely: 20 to 1. Bets to be placed with 'Colonel Bettington' by 1550, tomorrow._

* * *

Hannah Sheppard, SSV Orizaba, Citadel

"Captain, we have our clearance and are being jumped forward some in the arrival queue," Comm Officer Rong reported.

"Very good, Mr. Rong. Did they state the reason?" Hannah Shepard sat in her command seat, her legs was looking over some personal data on her seat's terminal.

"Yes, Ma'am. Lanes are being cleared for a priority ship to leave station, and the reorganization moves us up, with our speed vector."

"Interesting. What is the ship heading out?" Jane asked idly as she scanned messages.

"Yes, it appears the SSV Normandy is heading out under Spectre Authority.

Hannah paused and looked up, a slight frown on her face. "Well, that's too bad. Would have been nice to chat with my son. Ah, well," she said, shrugging. "Oh, since you are on comms with Station, is the Perugia still there?"

Rong nodded and turned back to his boards. A short conversation he turned again to the Captain. "I am afraid the Perugia is in exit order."

Snapping her fingers, Hannah looked disappointed. "Both my children on Station at the same time and I miss them. Story of my life," she sighed again. "At some point I will catch up to John and get a look at this ' _Inhuman atrocity of a crew_ ' Admiral Mikhailovich keeps going on about."

"Yes, Ma'am," Rong replies, noncommittally.

Hannah laughed before coming across a new posting on the UnderGround board."Oh," she said, her voice both amused and pleased. "Looks like Jane will be inducting a new member. The bets are up. Seems that the new girl doesn't inspire much confidence." A few taps of her board and her bet is in. "Everybody can take two in rotation to make your bets."

A few cheers and laughs go up in the Dreadnoughts bridge as Omnitools spring up, and bets are made.

* * *

John. SSV Normandy

"About to clear the Citadel, Commander," Joker reported, deftly maneuvering the frigate through the special exit lane.

"That was quick," John replied, leaning casually against the bulkhead just behind the cockpit.

"Being a Spectre has it's perks, apparently. Nice to finally find one that's useful," the pilot sniffed. "Looks like we are passing the Orizaba on it's way in."

John chuckled. "Probably for the best. Last thing I need is to have to explain to my mother is why Jane and I were in a barfight."

"Yeah," Joker nodded. "Hey, do you think she heard about Admiral Mikhailovich and his report? Bet it was a glowing commendation."

'Wow, no," John shook his head in mock terror. Well, it wasn't really mock. He may be an N7 and a Council Spectre, but his mother would skin him if she had to. "That is some shit I do _not_ need."

"Oh, come on Commander! I bet we're all going to get medals!"

"Right...keep dreaming," John laughed turning and moving into the CIC. Nodding to Pressley, he stepped up to the holotank and considered his current options. Noveria...Saren had some kind of interest there. Something important. He needed to get there soon. He needed to move on the information about Nassana Dantius's sister. And on top of that, Admiral Kohaku wanted him to check out some sort of research facility he had uncovered that was using Alliance resources. And it had something to do with the marines killed by the trap that summoned the Thresher Maw.

Gripping the bar over the holotank, John set his jaw. The sister has priority. He can't let an innocent girl die because he was off chasing revenge. With a short growl he sent the course data to Joker's terminal.

Stepping down from the tank, John's omnitool pinged with a message. One that actually made him smile, as he keyed up his ship comm. "This is Commander Shepard. Captain Shepard of the Perugia is set to induct a new crewmember. Colonel Bettington is up, get your marks in before we hit the relay. Shepard out." He noted several nearby crewmen pause to make bets on their omnitools. Even Pressley, which surprised John a bit. He always seemed a bit of a tight shirt.

"Commander?" Liara's voice came over the ground team channel. "If I might ask, who is Colonel Bettington?"

Before he could answer, Tali, of all people, spoke first. "Probably an underground betting pool. This Bettington character is most likely the booky."

After a short pause, Garrus chimed in, "How did you know that?"

Tali let out a short laugh. "Betting pools like that are all over the Migrant Fleet. We're more open about it, but then this is an Alliance military ship, so it's probably against regulations or something."

"Yeah, it's against regs, but there is the underground BBS these things are on," Ashley added. "We need to get our bets in before we hit the relay, because it's a short range network. Only Alliance ships in system will be in on it."

"Then how do we get paid out?" Wrex rumbled.

"Colonel Bettington tracks the outcomes and will directly deposit winnings into your account," Kaiden answered.

"Wait, I don't have an account!" Tali said, slightly confused.

'Don't worry about it, Tali," John reassured her. "Bettington actually keeps records of your bets and makes personal accounts that he tracks. Anytime you are in a medium to large Alliance system, you can access your account to transfer any winnings to your personal account."

"Yeah," Ashley confirmed. "Or you can leave your winnings there and just draw off it when you make your bets in the future. That's generally what I do."

"That's...very interesting," Liara ventured. "Then what is this that your sister is doing? An...execution?"

"Oh, let me explain this one Commander!" Joker cut in. When did he even get onto this channel?

"Go for it," John just shrugged and went with it.

"Okay," Joker chuckled. "It's like this…."

* * *

Tali, Sharjila, Mercenary Base

She fired her shotgun fully into the stomach of the mercenary, and watched his body be tossed back by the blast. Dead before he hit the floor. Her head snapped back up immediately, searching for the last foe, but saw only Wrex standing behind her, his arms folded over his chest. "What?" she asked. _Why does he keep doing that?_ She wondered. _He always seems to be there, watching._

The Krogan slowly nodded. "You are getting better," he acknowledged. "Stepping in under his guard like that and firing up was a good tactic."

"Wait...what?" she asked again. Okay, this was slightly confusing. He was watching her and giving her combat tips...and she didn't quite realize it until now. It was always a passing comment here or there. Nothing she could really pin down. But for some reason, now it clicked. This whole time, just about every mission, Wrex was close to her, pointing her here or there, giving her advice. He was training her.

For his part, Wrex just stood and stared at her. His red eyes stared at her. It was like being stared at by another predator, gathering her measure.

"Why are you doing this, Wrex?" she asked, finally, stowing her gun at her back. "You've been teaching me all these things. Why are you so interested in me?"

Again, Wrex just watched her. His eyes unblinking. "Tell me," he said at last. "What do you know about the Krogan Rebellions? Not the common crap that they made terrible vids about, the _official_ story. What solid knowledge do you have?"

"Umm, Well, if it's like that...then nothing, I guess," she admitted.

Wrex nodded, still staring at her. "This isn't the place then. I will tell you later."

As the Krogan turned, and walked away, towards the rest of the team, Tali thought. What did he mean? What could she know about the Krogan Rebellions?

Shaking her head, she ran to catch up as the team prepared to breach the last room.

Shepard nodded to her, as she arrived, and nodded at the door. "Here's the game plan. My biotics are still down, so I will focus on cracking the door. Wrex," he turned to the Krogan. "You're on point, Ashley will follow you in. Kaiden, you are fire support. Liara, I need you in the back doing biotic interception as crowd control. Garrus, you get over watch. Tali," he turned to her now. He had that intense look in his eyes that he got every time they went into a combat situation. Everytime he looked at her like that she got a shiver down her spine. One that wasn't exactly unpleasant… "Tali, I want you to the side, with Kaiden. I want you ripping shields and cracking any drones or turrets on the right side of the room, I'll crack the left. Got it?" His eyes slid across the team again, as they all nodded or acknowledged his orders.

As Shepard opened his omnitool and began to hack the door, Tali pulled and expanded her shotgun. The new omnitool he had gotten her was so fast, and already had most of her combat protocols on hot keys. It was an amazing piece of tech. She loved him...IT! She loved it. _Get it together Tali,_ she shook her head as if to shake away the thoughts as the door popped open, and Wrex began his charge.

As the Krogan and Ashley broke the center defensive line, in Wrex's case, literally, as he kicked apart the overturned table they were using as cover; Tali moved a few beats behind Kaiden. A few more than she should have. She had been distracted. It wasn't like her and was dangerous…

Just as those thoughts distracted her, she saw a blue flash and Kaiden was hurled across the room, to impact Garrus, the two men going down in a tangle of limbs. Wrex and Ashley didn't have time to break away from their own fight, as they were being pressed by a small mob, backed by two Krogan mercenaries.

Tali spun quickly, bringing her shotgun up. But too slow. A foot wreathed in blue energy kicked the gun from her hands, sending it almost to the opposite wall, and her, stumbling back a step.

She managed to catch herself before she fell, and looked up to see and Asari in red armor, jumping down at her, bringing her fist down squarely on her faceplate.

As her helmet rang with the impact that forced her head forward and down, staggering her forward, she was stopped by a knee that swung up, hitting her on the voice indicator light, snapping her head back up, and pushed her back another pair of steps. A part of her mind was so confused by the sudden attack that it was mildly worried if the light was broken.

The Asari seemed to pause for a moment. As if giving Tali a chance to get her bearings. Taunting her.

With a growl, Tali shook her head, and brought her own fists up. This time, she was taking the initiative, stepping forward and striking out with her right hand. She hadn't spent all that training time getting knocked around by Kal'Reegar for the fun of it!

Except, it appeared she had. The Asari, whom she assumed had to be Dahlia Dantius, stepped forward, sliding in next to her arm. Tali had a beat to see the smile on the woman's face, as her own eyes widened in shock. This was _not_ going to go well…

Dahlia grasped Tali's arm, just behind the elbow, on her bicep and jerked the Quarian forward. Rotating, Dahlia leaned down slightly and rammed her shoulder into Tali's shoulder joint, producing a sickening pop, as Tali felt the bones of the joint separating.

But Dahlia wasn't done. Dropping Tali's arm, she continued her roll, away from Tali's shoulder, now pressing her back against Tali's chest, as her right arm came up over her head and wrapped Tali's helmet in her grip.

Suddenly, with the Asari jerking her forward, Tali was drug bodily over Dahlia, by her helmet, as it twisted painfully. Tali was surprised her neck didn't snap at the motion, when suddenly, she found herself floating for a moment.

The biotic field shifted Tali's body up slightly, allowing Dahlia to pull Tali completely over into the air, before the field reversed itself. Now the field added hundreds of kilos of weight to Tali's body as Dahlia pulled the Quarian down, slamming her into the ground, by the helmet, so hard the stone beneath Tali cracked.

The impact drove the air out of Tali's lungs, and she could feel ribs snapping. Blood was forced into her mouth as she coughed it over the inside of her visor.

Medical warnings began to flash all over the HUD display in her helmet, but Tali couldn't focus on them enough to see what they were. But she knew she was hurt, badly.

Struggling to get air into her lungs, her eyes focused enough to see Dahlia standing over her, laughing. But Tali couldn't do anything about it. It was like Dahlia was giving her time to suffer. Like she didn't want Tali too stunned to not know what was happening.

Grinning, Dahlia finally reach down and gripped Tali by the visor, and lifting the Quarian up. Her body was being enhanced by her biotic power, it was clear. Her blue tinged fingers squeezed the visor hard enough it began to spiderweb under the tips of her fingers. But Tali could do nothing but paw pitifully at the Asari's wrist. Her body was hanging limp in the air, her feet twitching slightly.

 _No!_ Her mind screamed at her. _This isn't how you die! Not like this! Shepard still needs you! You haven't finished your Pilgrimage! Shepard! SHEPARD! I didn't tell him that I…_

And then he was there. Tali could see, between Dahlia's fingers, as Shepard's hand, his finger tips folded down, making a fist out of his second knuckles, drove up, under Dahlia's armpit. It seemed he hit something painful, as she cried out, her biotic field dropping, at the same time releasing her grip on Tali's helmet.

Tali felt herself begin to fall, but she was caught up by Shepard's arms, as he spun away from the murderous Asari.

Through the blood inside her visor, and the cracks outside of it, Tali could see the concern, the fear, Shepard had on his face. For her. He was speaking….

With weak shake of her head, she focused hard. "...ow badly are you hurt?" he was yelling at her.

Tali's mouth moved a few times before she was able to move sound out of it. And when she did, her chest felt filled with broken glass. "..'m okay…" she wheezed. "Hard to breath. No...ruptures. Internal...bones broken. 'Ill live. Jus' ...hurts…'epard…"

Gingerly, Shepard set her down, he back propped up against something. "Wait here. I'm going to end this."

Turning as he stood, Shepard rolled his shoulders. To Tali's eyes it looked like he physically grew wider, more dangerous.

He strode toward Dahlia, who, herself was just shaking off whatever the shot Shepard had given her before. While a moment ago, when she was about to crush the life out of Tali, now, her face was set in a furious snarl. Her hands went up, her palms faced down with her fingers straight. Her body was wrapped in a blue aura, as she waited for Shepard.

She did not wait long. Tali watched as Shepard moved in quickly, it didn't look like he even put up a guard. She was able to feebly raise a hand and croak, "Shepard…" But then Garrus's blue armored hand grabbed hers. She was able to tilt her head slightly and implore him with her eyes. "'elp..him…"

With a shake of his head, Garrus's mandibles twitched. "Tali, don't look away," he said. His voice was firm as he gestured back to Shepard. "You won't want to miss this." Behind Garrus, stood Wrex, who nodded to her, before looking to Shepard. Liara stood watching him, her eyes were wide, full of shock, as was Ashley's.

With a small grunt of pain she turned her head back to watch her Commander move to battle.

* * *

Dahlia Dantius, Sharjila, Her Own Base

The human surprised her. He had gotten a strike into her side, and had gotten lucky, hitting the _Jemmal_ nerve then ran under her arm. That kind of luck was impressive in it's own way, but it did allow him to save the Quarian.

As she staggered back, catching her breath, she saw him put the injured Quarian down, propping her up against a low wall. Dahlia shook herself and stood up as she saw all of her men down. She was the only one left. She would be damned if she went down easy…..

The human stood up and turned to her. His face was set in fury. He cared a lot about that beggar. Well, at least she was certainly going to die from the beating she had taken. The man's team assembled behind him, protectively around the Quarian.

Then he stepped forward. He was going to fight her! Himself! The fool apparently had his team stand back to watch. Well. If she was going to end here, she would be sure to take him with her.

Smirking she stepped up, sliding her right foot forward, and raised her hands up to chest height. She held her palms down, and her fingers straight out. She let a low level biotic field wrap her, to enhance her strength.

Her smirk dropped as she watched the man. He rolled his shoulders once, The fool thought he had a chance. What trick was he hiding? She shook her head slightly as he then began to walk toward her, not even putting a guard up.

 _This one_ is _a fool!_ She thought to herself. _He let himself be blinded by anger...This will be easy!_

He stopped just outside her strike range and faced her. "I am going to kill you. I am Commander John Shepard. Council Spectre. I'll make it clean, if you don't struggle."

His words were pure insanity. She had been a mercenary since before when his people still used wind to move their ships. She had centuries of combat expertise, and he was….

Inside her guard. She didn't even see him move, but he was there, pushing her arms apart with quick strikes to her wrists. Before she could bring her guard back, his hand, held in a fist with his second knuckles out again, this time in her gut. Just as the impact lifted her slightly up, off her feet, his hand folded into a full fist. The impact from the second hit echoed straight through her biotic field, and through her body. She was thrown back nearly three meters, where she was able to catch herself from landing face down on the ground with a hand.

This time when she looked at the Spectre, she felt the beginnings of fear.

* * *

Tali, Sharjila, Mercenary Base

"What…" she managed to squeeze out. She knew was injured and not able to focus well, but she barely saw Shepard move. It looked more like he teleported.

" _Sambaria_ ," Wrex, rumbled with a nod.

"How could a human have learned it?" Liara responded, her voice quiet. "It's supposed to be a secret taught to _Kataromas_ and Justicars….."

Wrex grunted. "He moved quickly. It probably looked like he shot forward, from her point of view. Only his lower body moved, he kept his upper body still. Never seen it actually done" He chuckled quietly. "Bet she didn't it coming at all."

Garrus laughed, "No doubt there."

* * *

Dahlia

Standing, she tilted her head, popping her neck. She underestimated the human. They were a new species. It wasn't well known what they could really do. They even gave the Turian military a bloody nose. Now, she was simply going to break him.

The Spectre, however, took a stance this time. He turned his body, his left shoulder facing her and tilted slightly. Both his fists were up near his face, his elbows in tight near his sides. Dahlia watched as he bounced slightly on the balls of his feet.

It was his face that gave her pause. It was blank. He had no expression on his face. His eyes though. His eyes were a beautiful blue, but were filled with hate.

She would _not_ be intimidated by this, this lesser species! "Raaahhh!" Dahlia screamed as she charged Shepard, her right fist shot forward, followed by her left, but Shepard leaned back on his heels and moved to the right, both her strikes passing by his head by a hair's breadth.

As he leaned back, his left lanced straight forward, catching her on her left shoulder, forcing her back a step. Then another straight left into the same shoulder, forcing her back another step, then again, and again.

Another caught the next left on her forearm, impressed with the strength of it, even through her biotic barrier. But she had fought Krogan. His strikes barely registered.

Fainting twice, Dahlia spun, her foot arcing back almost faster than an eye could follow, but Shepard caught it on his right shoulder, staggering slightly under the blow. She stepped in, following the kick with the knee of her other leg, he slapped it aside with his left hand, but was pushed back again.

Feeling confident now, Dahlia hooked her left arm around, aiming at his temple. When this strike hit, his head would explode like a melon.

Except it didn't hit. His head ducked under her swing to the left, his one fist hooking into her stomach, exactly the place he had hit earlier, making her wince at the impact. He followed with his right hitting her left shoulder again, and this time she felt a flash of numbness shoot through it.

Backing up Dahlia snarled, almost like an animal and came in again, this time with a straight kick of her right foot. But again, Shepard turned with it, attacking the offending limb itself. His fingers held stiff, struck hard into the joint of her armor into her hip. He stepped in again, two strikes to her stomach, another to her shoulder, then he was out again.

Dahlia stepped back with a limp now, but Shepard came in again, pressing her. She lashed out with her right hand, trying to keep him back, but he sidestepped it again, moving in. He caught her wrist this time, with his right hand as he brought his left elbow in, snapping her joint the wrong way.

She didn't even get a chance to scream as he methodically struck her stomach with three strikes this time, again in her shoulder, then a straight strike down into her hip joint again.

He was destroying her! How was this possible! He was a worm! Why couldn't she keep her barrier up?! Her already unhinged mind snapped, and she snarled like an animal leaping forward, her good arm held like claws before her.

* * *

Tali

She couldn't believe her eyes. The Commander was beating an Asari soldier like it was nothing. He worked her like he was some kind of machine. Easily evading her attacks and striking back with brutal efficiency.

She heard a snort to her left, making her glance over as Ashley shook her head. "He's just boxing her," the soldier said, incredulously.

"Ha ha," Wrex laughed. "Just looks like it," he said, leaning an elbow on the small wall Tali was up against. "He might be using your boxing or whatever, but he is hitting her in sensitive places, especially on Asari. Makes it almost impossible to bring her biotics to bear. In theory, he would be using his own biotics to break her."

Tali heard an animal snarl and turned back to face the, she couldn't even really call it a fight. It was an execution.

Dahlia's right arm hung at her side, shattered at the elbow. Her left leg had a clear limp, and her breathing was labored. But the fight wasn't gone yet. She screamed, hooking the fingers of her left hand like the were claws, leaping forward. There was no strategy, no grace, just animalistic fury, as she even frothed at the mouth.

Something changed in Shepard's stance as he stood straighter. As the berserk Dahlia leaped at him, he jumped, his elbow pulling back above his head.

Then his own biotic field snapped over him. It flashed briefly as he brought his elbow straight down on the crown of Dahlia's head. There was a loud cracking sound as the Asari's eye rolled up in her head, blood running out of her nose, before she collapsed to the ground, twitching.

Tali looked at the body for a moment before looking back up at Shepard. But he just looked like himself. He didn't seem quite so large as he did when he went to fight the insane woman. He didn't look angry anymore, or sad. He just looked at Tali with worry, and what looked like trepidation.

 _Keelah..._ she thought. _He...he is afraid now?_

Glancing at Garrus, he gestured to Tali. "Think you can handle getting her back to the ship?"

Garrus looked back up at Shepard, his mandibles loose as he gave the Commander an incredulous look. "Please, Shepard. She weighs less than my armor." He paused then looked down at her for a moment. "Actually, Wrex, want to give me a hand? Don't want to jostle her too much."

Grunting, Wrex leaned down and gently scooped her up himself. "Just get the door," he said, turning to head back toward the exit. "Oh, Shepard," he paused, glancing back. How long have your biotics been back?"

The Commander gave a sheepish look. "About five minutes now."

"Ha, ha," Wrex laughed.

* * *

Asari Lexicon

Jemmal Nerve: A nerve that runs along the underside of the Asari arm, from the pinky up to the shoulder, and down along the first rib to the spine. The only place it is vulnerable to a direct strike is where it separates from the shoulder before going under the rib. A precise strike causes extreme pain and loss of focus. Only well trained Asari commandos or particularly strong Matriarchs are able to hold their focus.

Sambaria: Asari martial art that incorporates biotic attacks and physical enhancements. Also includes skills and strikes designed to disrupt and defeat the biotic attacks of the opponent. Created and used almost exclusively by the Kataromas and Asari Justicars.

Kataromas: Asari raised and train to be assassins and soldiers by the Athame Church. Used as a bit of a black ops boogey man in the Asari Hierarchy.


	19. CH19 After Dantius

John, SSV Normandy, Mess

"How is she?" John asked, rushing to Dr. Chakwas, almost before the med bay doors had closed. She stood there, regarding him for a moment. She wasn't surprised. She was never surprised. In all the years he knew her, he had never seen her surprised. However. She did look irritated.

"Shepard," she said, her voice was low, like when one was speaking sternly to a child. "I would like to get something to eat and then a shower."

John looked at her a moment before realizing how close he was to her. Stepping back he hung his head a bit. "Sorry…."

Chakwas smiled at him and patted his head. "She'll be fine. Quarians are tough, their immune systems aside. She just dislocated several of the joints in her ribs. That was what was giving her the trouble breathing. Her neck was the actual problem."

"Joints in her ribs? What happened to her neck?" John was both worried and confused.

With a dramatic sigh, Chakwas gestured to the table in the mess. "Can we at least sit, before you feel the need to interrogate me?"

His eyes widened as he stepped back again. "Dammit, I'm sorry, I just…"

"Shepard, it's fine," she reassured him as she lead the way to the mess itself. She stopped to grab herself a ration before sitting and opening it. "First off, let me get a couple things out of the way. We did not remove her mask. We did open the suit briefly to get to her upper body, but no, I am not telling you anything about her. Doctor/Patient confidentiality and all that."

Nodding, John waved a hand at her. "Wasn't going to ask, none of my business."

Dr. Chakwas eyed him for a moment before nodding and going back to her meal. "I'll give you a quick and dirty rundown of Quarian internally anatomy."

"Hmph," she grunted as she chewed. "The Migrant fleet didn't want to share the medical data as it was. I had to keep badgering my way up the chain of command until I got to an Admiral. One Shala'Ran vas Tonbay. When I told her the situation, she sent the data almost immediately. And a very nice note."

"Well?" he finally said, exasperated.

Before she could explain the lift opened and Wrex came into the mess. Nodding to the doctor and John, he gathered a pile of rations and sat down at the end of the table to eat.

John just stared at him.

Wrex stared back, as he began to eat. "What?"

"I was going to get some information about Tali when you came in," John said.

With a shrug Wrex turned back to his meal. "Don't stop on my account."

John was about to say something rude when Chakwas cut in. "Wrex...that is an exorbitant amount of food. Do you always eat that much?"

Wrex looked at his pile, amused, then looked to the Doctor. "Nah, this is a snack. Gotta keep my beautiful figure and all." He and Dr. Chakwas shared a laugh as John dropped his head to the table.

"Oh, stop being so melodramatic Shepard," Wrex admonished him. "Tali probably just dislocated some ribs."

His head still on the table he shifted until he was looking at the Doctor. "Well?"

"Fine, fine," she began. "The Quarian ribcage is segmented. They are attached to a breastbone made of cartilage. Each rib has three distinct joints. The first connects to the breastbone, the second is at the side of the torso, and the third connects to the spine itself. Each rib has muscles that allow them to flex both inward and outward."

She paused and looked at John, as if to make sure he was keeping up. "Well, that is certainly interesting, I guess."

Dr. Chakwas smiled. "That is where it gets interesting. They have the ability to consciously control their rib cage."

John sat up frowning. "What would that do?"

"Let's em do a bunch of thing," Wrex threw in. "They can breath harder, both expanding and contracting, getting more oxygen into their blood. For a short while, anyway. They have strong legs to begin with, but they can move pretty fast when they need to. Also, they can contract them to fit in tighter places, or flex them against a squeeze attack….that kinda stuff."

He glanced between Wrex and Dr. Chakwas a moment as he processed that information. "So then...with the ribs dislocated, she wasn't able to expand her chest to get air into her lungs?"

Nodding, Chakwas finished her meal and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Pretty much, yes," she answered. "They were stuck in a closed position, and she wasn't able to pull them open. But a readjustment, they got put back in place, she is almost good to go. She will need some anti-inflammatories for a couple days though."

"Okay, good that is okay...what about her neck? You both seemed concerned?"

Dr. Chakwas nodded slightly. "Yes, the impacts and tossing about put some strain on her neck. I am sure you noticed, but Quarians have longer, thinner necks that, say, humans do. They also have more muscles in the neck. She has some muscle tearing, but the collar of her suit is working as a brace. She just won't be able to turn her head much until it heals."

"Which won't be too long," Wrex added. "Quarians heal pretty fast. Not like Krogan do or anything, but faster than Asari, or Turians or whatever."

John just sat for a moment and stared at Wrex. "How do you know all these things, I mean, I get that you have been around the block a few times, but you seem particularly interested in Tali."

Wrex locked eyes and stared back. He placed the last three rations in his mouth and began to chew them. Slowly.

Drumming his fingers, John, began to frown. Then he began to fidget. Then he ground his teeth. Then, somehow, Wrex actually swallowed slowly. John snapped, "Oh, _come on!_ Just say something!"

With a slow exaggerated nod, Wrex's eyes rolled, as if he were thinking of something particularly difficult, like trying to find the right words. Then with a nod, he spoke. "Something."

"Son of a…." John just threw his hands in the air, stood and stormed into her quarters. "If I could figure out how to make it work I would slam this door!" he yelled back out as the door slowly closed and sealed with a quiet his.

"Ha ha," Wrex laughed.

"You are terrible," Dr. Chakwas laughed with him.

* * *

Garrus, Binthu, Mako

"I'm just saying, we could have waited another day for Tali to be ready for field work again," Garrus half yelled through the loud interior of the Mako. "She could use the extra practice on the Mako before she can become certified!"

"Garrus," John called back. "Seriously, man. Stop whining. Ashley and Kaiden aren't whining. Neither is Wrex."

Scanning the terrain through the turrets viewfinder, Garrus shook his head. "Kaiden seems to he comatose," He glanced over at the poor man seated next to Shepard. His hands gripped the safety handle above him so hard his knuckles were nearly as white as his currently pale face. The man's eyes were so wide open Garrus wouldn't be surprised if they never closed again.

"Ashley is busy praying," Garrus continued. Ashley was fully wrapped the the side seat's safety webbing, as well as having pulled as much of the extra webbing that she could reach. Her head was bowed over her hands, which were clasped together in front of her. She was mumbling something Garrus couldn't quite hear, but it seemed to involve her mother and a valley of death. As she recited whatever that mantra was, she rolled a bead in her hand, from a circular string of them.

Shepard, actually turned in his seat to look back and frowned. "Look!" he said. Wrex is fine!"

"SHEPARD! SHEPARD EYES ON THE ROAD! SHEPARD!" Kaiden began screaming, causing Shepard to look at him frowning, before turning back forward in his seat.

Garrus glanced at Wrex. It was true that the Krogan hadn't seemed concerned. But Garrus also noted that he hadn't moved in the twenty minutes they had been driving.

He was about to say something more when his sensor pinged, getting his attention. "I see the structure," he called. "Round, prefab cover, so, underground lab. Couple of automated turrets." He fired two shots from the Mako's heavy cannon. "Which are eliminated."

As they approached the facility at full speed, Garrus began to grip his own safety handles a bit tighter. "Umm..Shepard?"

"It's fine!" the Commander called back. Shepard actually sounded happy. That made Garrus sad.

At the last minute, Shepard turned hard while breaking, causing the Mako to spin sideways. They all could feel a set of the tank's wheels come up, then, to their horror, seemed to catch. The Mako rolled completely over onto its back, and seemed to settle for a moment before a retro rocket fired once, continuing the roll back onto it's wheels, bouncing on it's schocks.

"Whew!" Shepard laughed. "That was exciting, huh?"

Kaiden's head was turned, staring directly at Shepard. Ashley had began asking her mother for forgiveness?

Wrex, actually turned now, to look at Garrus. When he spoke it was in a very soft voice. One Garrus didn't think Krogan were capable of. "Vehicles don't go like that." His head tilted ever so slightly. "Why did it go like that?" his question almost sounded...desperate.

* * *

Ashley, Binthu, Cerberus Base III

"Target down," Ash called as she slipped back into cover, waiting for her Avenger rifle to flush it's heat sink. "How many more?"

Kaiden risked a quick peek over his crate. "Two air drones, and two humanoid mech!" he called back, dropping back down.

"Shepard!" Wrex called out. How's that door coming?"

"I'm working on it!" Shepard yelled back. "I'm no Tali!"

"Yeah, Shepard, we know that," Garrus yelled as he popped up and fired a burst into a drone, bringing down it's shield before being forced to duck by the fire her drew. "You don't have the hips to fill her suit!"

With her rifle, now vented, Ash popped up and pumped a burst into the drone Garrus had dropped the shields on, before ducking back. She had to admit. No matter her opinion on aliens on the Alliance ship, they team had really come together as a unit. Still, it's not that she had anything against the aliens. They were nice people and all. She was just worried about Shepard's attachment to the Asari...to Liara. _I have to keep reminding him that he is human. Those kinds of things never work out._

Kaiden stood briefly and glowed with a flash of biotic power, lifting a mech into the air to flail helplessly. He was followed by the Asari in question, Liara, who threw her arm forward, her own aura flaring brighter than either Shepard of Kaiden's. The energy pulse shot out, crashing into the mech, smashing it into the far wall, where it fell to the floor, a sparking heap of scrap.

Ash's mouth flattened into a line. She was beautiful and strong. An irritating combination. Why couldn't she be a same species, like Tali. At least she was vacuum sealed. Quarians were probably funny looking anyway.

Or maybe, a Krogan… Then Ash's mind flashed a version of Wrex wearing a sundress, with a flower attached to the side of it's head plate.

The Krogan in question took the opportunity to change position, unloading a pair of blasts from his shotgun, blowing off the mech's arms.

As he dropped down next to Ash, she looked up and burst out laughing. With a blink, Wrex turned to her. "What, so funny?"

Ashley tried to get a hold of her laughter, biting her lip. But then he tilted his head and she post it, laughing like an idiot. She was even struggling to breath, and her stomach was beginning to hurt.

After another moment, the team finished off the last to machines, and Shepard opened the sealed blast door.

Moving in, the team covered the room, but it was empty, except for a single human body, wearing an Alliance uniform.

Shepard walked up to it, and rolled it halfway over, frowning heavily. "Admiral Kohaku," he muttered. He looked around the room, but there was nothing else of any import. As he stood he looked down at the body. "Shot in the back of the head., angled downward. He was on his knees."

Ashley gasped quietly.

Wrex nodded as he stowed his weapon on his back. "Execution."

* * *

Jane, SSV Perugia, Captains Quarters

"He was straight up executed. Shot in the back of the head," John shook his head, grimly. "Something is up with this…'Cerberus' thing. Watch your back, huh?"

Jane paused in the middle of drying her hair, to regard her brother. The vid call had caught her by surprise as she was getting out of an _amazing_ hot shower. They were always better after she finished...training...somebody new…

She shook her head slightly, changing her mental gears. "So...you found evidence that there is a human supremacist organization running under the Alliance, and siphoning funds…. Think it's an Earth First thing?"

"Don't think so. They see to be their own thing. I did a rough extranet search. Most of what I got was the dog for greek mythology. But I did find a manifesto written by some guy that called himself The Illusive Man," John grimaced. "It was put out just after the First Contact War."

Holding both ends of her towel, Jane pulled it tight across her neck. "So then this could be something deep...an Admiral is already dead...and they may have something to do with Akuze. I think you might need to be the one on the lookout. And why do you look like you are in pain? You should look at a person when you talk to 'em, Jay Jay."

"Yeah, I would, but do you _really_ need to not wear a shirt?"

Jane looked down at herself, then back to the vid. "Oh, come on, I just got out of the shower. It's super uncomfortable to put on clothes right away."

"Sure, but you are on a vid call!" John raised his voice.

With a quiet laugh, Jane shook her breasts at him. "Aww, is Johny Wony shy in front of his sister?" she mocked. "Getting all flustered because of her sumptuous naked form?"

"As if!" he yelled back, red faced now. "This is why you're still single!"

Jane's eyes shot to narrow slits as her body went still. "Excuse me? Want to run that by me again?"

Not recognizing the dangerous territory he had entered, John continued. "You walk around naked all the time, I can see beer cans, and empty food wrappers all over your room, behind you." He nodded, pleased with himself, not noticing the clenching of her teeth, or the little vein that was popping out of her forehead. "You are a muscle head jock that couldn't get a date with a drunken Vorcha!"

It was at that moment, John seemed to realized he might have taken a step too far. Jane slowly smiled sweetly, leaning back in her seat. "Oh, ho? Is that so?" she nodded, glancing around for show. "It's true, I am a messy person…." She slowly leaned forward, her face close to the screen. "But, because I want you to squirm, I want you to know something."

John began to panic. "No, wait, Jane, I take it back, I didn't mean it!"

"Mmmm, I just want you to know...it's on. It won't be now. It won't be tomorrow. It might not even be soon. But!" Jane held up a finger. "I will get you."

"Jane! Jane! Hang on don't…" Jane hit the button and turned off the vid comm.

"Well now…"she mused to herself as she looked at the ceiling. "What to do...what to do….AH!" The idea struck her. And slowly, a wolfish grin spread across her face.


	20. CH20 Citadel Interlude

Author's Note: Not gonna lie, this might have been my favorite chapter to write. Also, this is the halfway mark!

* * *

Kelly Shepard, Citadel

"Oh. My. GOD!" Kelly exclaimed as she stepped out of the elevator and saw the Presidium Commons for the first time. "This place is amazing!"

"Kelly, stop, you are going to run into-" her father started to warn the girl as she spun in place, trying to look at everything at once. And, of course, crashed into a Volus, tipping the poor round alien onto his back.

"Omigawd!" she exclaimed, her hands darted to her mouth. "I am SO sorry!"

Flailing, the Volus rocked back and forth on his back, trying to regain some semblance of dignity. "Don't just- *hrk* stand there *hrk* help me back up *hrk*!" he growled, between the deep breaths Volus were forced to make due to their high pressure environment suits.

"Right!" Kelly exclaimed as she snapped out of her daze. She grabbed the beings hands and pulled, but the weight of his suit pulled against her, and all she succeeded in doing was slowly turning the Volus in place.

"Mmmm," she snorted as she readjusted her grip. This time, planting her feet firmly, Kelly threw her body backwards, heaving, to attempt to lift the being. Gritting her teeth, her lips pulled back in a snarl. Slowly, she pulled the Volus nearly into a sitting position.

Then her feet lost traction on the flooring, sending the Volus rolling back down, and this time dragging Kelly along with him.

As she landed on top, the Volus sighed. "You're *hrk* doing this *hrk* on purpose *hrk* aren't you?"

"I swear I'm not Mr.- Um?" she assured him as she climbed off his prone form.

"Din. *hrk* Din Korlack," at this point Din's voice was resigned. "Volus Ambassador."

Gasping, Kelly covered her mouth again. "Oh no! Please don't be mad Mister Korlack! I don't want to start some sort of diplomatic incident! I'll get you up! I promise!" Frantically, Kelly moved around to his head, grabbing ahold of his shoulders and attempting to lift him up that way.

"Allright *hrk* don't worry so much *hrk* it was an accident *hrk* And, honestly? *hrk* At this point *hrk* It's getting kind of funny *hrk* even to me" Din chuckled quietly. "You do realize *hrk* you could probably just use *hrk* your biotics?"

Kelly froze, mid pull, having gotten him halfway up. She currently had her back on his and was pushing with her feet. Now, she blinked, then hung her head. "I am such an idiot…." she mumbled.

Sighing, the young Asari's power flared and surrounded Din, lifting him up and gently placing him of his feet.

"Heh *hrk* thanks for that *hrk*, Miss?" his head tilted slightly.

Blushing a deeper blue, Kelly hung her head. "Kelly Shepard, sir."

"Shepard…*hrk*" Din pondered, tapping the front of his mask with the three fingered mechanical device Volus used as a hand. "Like the Spectre *hrk*?"

Nodding her head vigorously, Kelly bounced a little. "Yeah! He's my brother!" she exclaimed, proudly.

"Interesting *hrk* How about we keep this *hrk* between us?" Din chuckled again, patting the girl on the arm. "Your brother *hrk* did a good deed *hrk* for a close friend. *hrk* So I will pass it along *hrk*"

Kelly grabbed the Volus's appendage and shook it vigorously. "Oh, yes, sir! Thank you!"

After a little discussion, the Volus Ambassador suggested a few sights for Kelly to see before heading off with a small wave.

"You know…" Hestalia stepped up next to her daughter. "I got that all on vid."

"DAD!"

* * *

Hestalia Shepard, Citadel, Upper Wards

Prowling the usual tourist stops, Hestalia and her daughter took, seemingly, hundreds of pictures, and hours of vid. As the elevator doors opened, Kelly burst out onto the Ward floor, her head whipping around so hard, and fast, she wondered how her daughter's _mallina_ didn't fly off.

"Careful child," she told Kelly shaking her head. "I doubt you will find many friendly Volus here for you to knock over."

"DAD!" the girl whipped about, a fierce teenage scowl on her face. "Stop bringing that up!"

Laughing lightly, Hestalia slid her arm around Kelly's shoulders and leaned in close. "Never."

Laughing herself, Kelly stepped away and punched Hestalia in the shoulder. "You are the meanest father in space!" the girl declared.

"It's true," Hestalia nodded. "Especially, when I send the vid to your brother and sister…"

Kelly's eyes went wide as her face flushed to a paler blue. "You wouldn't!"

"Hmmm...I wonder…" with a smirk, Hestalia tapped a finger on her chin. "I suppose we'll see how your physics final went…"

With a groan, Kelly rubbed her hand over her face. "I am _so_ doomed…"

"He-Hestalia?" a male voice called out.

 _Who would know me here_? Hestalia's mind ran through all the possible scenarios, all the potential enemies she had made. Not many of them were left. An Asari's long lifespans were awfully useful for getting rid of old enemies.

As she turned, her eyes fell on an older human. A man she knew. "Zabaleta?"

"Ah, heh, yeah. You remember me, huh?" the man said as his eyes fell to the ground, and he shuffled in place.

"Of course I do," Hestalia stepped towards the man, concerned. "Are you alright?"

Zabaleta's eye flickered over to Kelly then back to Hestalia, and the man grimaced.

With a slight nod she turned to her daughter. "Kelly, this is important. Why don't you go check out that clothing shop?"

Kelly hesitated, looking at the man then back to her father, then nodded. "Okay."

Closing his eyes Zabaleta sighed, hanging his head once more. As he did so, Hestalia could smell the liquor on his breath.

"What happened Ernesto?" she asked, placing a hand lightly on the man's arm. Noting how he flinched slightly.

"I...I'm just a bit down on my luck is all. Do...do you think you could spare, like, twenty credits? I just need a little bit to get a ride home." It was clear to Hestalia that there was something more going on, but just nodded.

"Of course, Ernesto," she reassured him, and handed him a credit chit. "Will you be alright?"

Waving a hand, the man nodded. "Ye-yeah. I'll be okay," he assured her. "Hey, that your daughter? With Hannah?" Hestalia noticed the man's clear changing of the subject.

"Yes, Kelly just turned sixteen, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to have her see the Citadel."

"Yeah...That's good...She looks good...All grown up…." Hestalia frowned as the man trailed off, his eyes unfocusing. Then, with a shudder, he blinked and turned back to her. "Hey, um...thanks for the money. I'll pay you back, I promise."

With a shake of her head, Hestalia bowed slightly to him. "No, Ernesto, it's alright. I hope you have a good evening."

"Yeah...You too. Maybe take Kelly to see the water biome on the sixteenth level. The hanging gardens are neat."

Smiling, Hestalia nodded. "Thank you, Ernesto, I will do that."

* * *

Hannah Shepard, Citadel, Maconi's Sandwiches, Pressidium Commons

"I swear, Hessie, everytime I see the girl she is bigger," Hannah leaned back in her chair. She was glad they had taken one of the veranda tables, as she watched her daughter lean over the iron grate railings.

The girl in question was stretching out her arm towards a small furry animal that reminded Hannah of the squirrels that played in the trees at her parent's home on Earth. This particular animal, realizing the Asari girl didn't have any food, turned and ran up the tree it had been climbing on, and disappearing into the branches.

Looking up at Hannah, then glancing at their daughter before looking back, Hestalia set her sandwich down and placed a hand over her mouth while she chewed. "She really is," Hestalia mumbled around her bite, before swallowing. "At this rate, she will end up bigger than John," she shook her head ruefully.

With a small sigh, Hannah took a sip of her coffee. "You missed them both by a week." It was a shame really, she knew Kelly had been really missing her siblings, especially after the Terra Firma activists had started popping up on Mindior. "But then, I literally passed them on my way in-station."

"Hannah, this sandwich is amazing," Hestalia raved taking another large bite. "What did you call it again?"

Smiling the human shook her head, laughing at her husband. "It's pulled pork. And you have some on your face…" Leaning forward, Hannah reached out and wiped a bit of sauce from Hestalia's cheek. Placing her elbows on the table, Hannah brought her finger to her mouth, licking the bit of sauce from it.

As she did so, Hestalia put her own arms on the table and leaned forward, a smile on her face. "Well, I need some way to get you to kiss me…."

Clasping the Asari's hand in her own, Hannah leaned in over the table, watching her lover's eyes close as their lips became one…almost.

"Okay, we are in public, and that is gross," Kelly exclaimed, standing next to the table, her arms crossed.

With a groan, Hannah dropped back into her chair and threw her head back, staring at the artificial sky.

Hestalia gave her hand a pat laughing, "Honey, it's not legal to kill your children in Citadel space." Turning to give the girl a dirty look, she added, "Unless you intend to eat them."

* * *

Hestalia

"Are you okay?" she asked as Hannah entered their hotel room. "Your hair's a mess, you have soot on your cheek and you smell like a Krogan's codpiece."

Rolling her eyes, Hannah kicked the door closed behind her. "Thank you so much for the warm welcome."

"Huh," Hestalia grunted, with a shake of her head. Still, she stepped forward, helping her wife out of the black coat and taking Hannah's gun harness. "I'll clean your guns up tomorrow, after the squeaker goes to that tour group. Did you at least get Ernesto to Veteran Affairs?"

'Yes. He had gotten mixed up with some gang calling themselves the 'Tenth Street Reds' " Leaning in to kiss her husband, Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks sweetheart. I need a shower and something to eat." Walking towards the bathroom, she began taking off layers of clothes.

They had been married for almost eighteen years now, but Hestalia always stopped whatever she was doing to watch her wife undress. "Hmm...maybe, after I clean up your mess of clothes here, I might join you. I think I could use a shower myself…."

Pausing at the door to the bathroom, Hannah released her hair. It may be the same color as her daughter's, but her's cascaded down her body, ending just below her hips. Slowly, she drew it about herself, then let it slide out of her fingers slowly. "I might enjoy a little...company...in the shower." Hannah's hips swung side to side as she stepped into the bathroom.

Hestalia stood for a moment, holding Hannah's dirty clothes, and staring at the door to the bathroom. Slowly, her head turned down to look at the load in her arms.

Suddenly, with a quiet animalistic snarl, Hestalia threw her wife's clothes aside and began nearly ripping her own off, as she advanced toward the bathroom door. _That woman isn't going to be able to walk out of her own power when I finish with her…._ Hestalia groaned to herself as her fingers stumbled on a catch on her skirt. With a annoyed tug, Hestalia broke the clasp, letting the garment drop to the floor.

Then she paused. Leaning down, she picked up Hannah's hat as she walked into the bathroom.

"Hannah….Your hat has a bullet hole in it…."

* * *

Asari Lexicon

Mallina: Word for an asari's head crest of semi-flexible cartilage that grow into shape


	21. CH21 To Noveria

Author's Note: Some people where asking about the romance,so here is a bit of the beginnings of it getting more serious. Sticking to the source material, there is not going to be anything full blown here, that's what sequels are for!

Also: I've clearly decided to do author notes. Let me what yall think

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy, Cargo Bay

 _Okay...just breathe, walk over and ask him. Simple. Any idiot can do it,_ Tali mentally goaded herself. She stood just outside of the lift, to the right, behind some cargo crates. She looked across the Bay deck.

Wrex was going through the crate Shepard had picked up for him. Apparently, While she was down in the Med Bay, the team had raided a warehouse owned by a Turian war profiteer. It looked like Krogan armor, but old... _really_ old. But, even so, Wrex seemed to contemplate each piece of it.

Ashley was where she usually was, at the armory bench. She had a rifle disassembled and was cleaning parts of it with oil and some cloths. It looked like she was in a trance. _Wonder if that's how I look when I am working on the engines…._ Tali wondered.

Garrus was...Tali had to bit down to keep herself from laughing as she saw two Turian, blue armored legs sticking nearly straight out of the turret of the Mako. She could see them wiggling around. _He must be working on something in there_.

"Serious, Garrus," Shepard laughed. "There has to be an easier way of calibrating that gun." _There he is, now go talk to him_! Shepard was leaning against the side of the Mako, a tool kit next to him.

"It's fine!" Garrus's voice called back from inside the turret. Tali nearly laughed again as it looked like Garrus's legs seemed to move intime with his speaking. "I can't get to the minigun's targeting module from the outside without taking half the armor off the front of the turret. Now, stop complaining me and get me the circuit scanner!"

Shepard shook his head for a moment before picking up the tool in question. As he picked it up, he turned noticing Tali. "Oh, hey Tali. C'mon over. You can make fun of Garrus with me!" The cheerfulness in his voice sent a warm feeling through her. She just _wanted_ to be next to him. The urge to just be near him was oddly overwhelming at times.

Then she realized she had already walked up to him. She slowly looked up from his chest to his face. He was grinning at her as he tapped the scanner on his palm. "Want to get it to him?" he asked her, with a wink.

Slowly, she took a deep breath, then opened her mouth to finally ask him….

"Hey! Shepard! I don't exactly like hanging upside down like this, you know!" Garrus interrupted her.

Taking the device from Shepard she frowned at it, then at Garrus's legs. She wish she had some sort of laser eye beams or something. With an angry grunt she threw the scanner in a perfect arc that carried it high enough over the turret to let it drop straight down through the hatch.

"GAAH!" the Turian screamed as his legs vanished down into the tank. Sniffing with satisfaction, Tali dusted her hands off and turned back to Shepard. _Oh, no...he's angry with me now!_ Tali could feel tears form in her eyes as Shepard stared at her with wide surprised eyes.

As if in answer to her thoughts, a more childlike grin spread over his face. "That was...AMAZING!" he laughed clapping her on the shoulder, hard enough that she stumbled slightly. "Oh, sorry about that," he said catching her, and setting her back up right. "What did you come down for?"

"Uh...umm.." Tali said, eloquently. Her thoughts scattered by the rapid fire attacks, he was happy for something she did, then touched her, then caught her, now he was talking to her...right! "Oh, yeah, I was kinda wondering if you could...you know maybe…" _Keelah girl! This is the chance!_ Looking down she realized her hands were twisting together again. Consciously she forced her hands to her sides, in fists as she looked back up at Shepard. "I was hoping you could teach me how to fight?"

"Okay, Shepard, throwing things now, huh? I hope you're prepared for the consequen…Oh, hey Tali! Did you just see Shepard abuse me?" Garrus popped up out of the turret, the scanner in his hand.

Grinding her teeth together, Tali grabbed a socket wrench from the tool kit and threw it at Garrus, hitting him right between the eyes. "HOOPFFF," he grunted falling back into the tank.

This time the laughter echoed from the whole bay. Tali's head spun around to see Wrex and Ashley both laughing. Then turning back to Shepard, she saw him almost doubled over with laughter.

"Oh lord, that was a perfect shot!" he exclaimed wiping a tear from his eye. "Now.." he said, still chuckling. "What was that about fighting? You are pretty good already."

"Well…"

"Allright! That's it!" Garrus yelled, coming out of the tank again. "You all are going to get it!"

Tali's helmet snapped around as she growled deep in her throat. Her fists clenched at her sides as she turned back to Shepard. The look he was giving her hit her like a bucket of cold water.

His eyes were wide, and his mouth was open as he stared at her. "Wow, that's a sound I didn't expect!"

"Ah!" she exclaimed. "I..I'm sorry..I just kinda lost my temper a bit. It was kinda.. I know, I'm kinda weird…"

Shepard grinned at her and patted her on the arm. "Nah," he said. "It was nice to see another side of you. Now, you wanted me to…"

Whatever Shepard was going to say was cut off as the wrench from earlier hit him in the back. "Ha HA!" Garrus yelled down. "Feel my vengeance!"

"Garrus…." he began, looking up at the Turian, before being cut off again, this time by the Comm.

"We are coming up on the relay now, Commander," Joker's voice reported.

"Acknowledged, on my way up," Shepard ducked his head at Tali. "I'm sorry, we will need to go over this next time, okay?"

Mutely, Tali nodded, and watched him head to the lift. Once the doors closed, she slowly turned around to look up at Garrus.

"What?" he yelled. "You want some of the same? I still got stuff up here!"

She stood for a moment before leaping halfway up the tank in one large jump. Grasping the sides of the Mako's armored turret she began climbing rapidly up toward the top.

"Oh, shit!" Garrus yelped, ducking back into the vehicle, but Tali was right behind him, her voice yelling swear words faster than the translators could keep up.

As the Quarian disappeared after Garrus, only the echoes of pain and terror were heard through the cargo bay.

* * *

John, Noveria, Port Hanshen

"I'm sorry, Commander Shepard, but my hands are tied," Bel Anoleis smiled, a lazy, greasy smile. "With the current blizzards, I can't, in good conscious, send you out there. Besides, this isn't a Council world. This world is controlled by corporate interests, and I, as their representative, am tasked with maintaining their privacy. You understand."

John stood there and stared at the Salarian. He was never good with these kinds of people. Or their webs of bureaucracy. "I see," was all he said.

"Yes, now, if you have nothing else, I _do_ have important work to do," Anoleis nodded towards the door.

Counting to ten, John turned and slowly walked out of the room. His hands were balled into tights fists as he passed the doors and stepped behind one of the grey stone pillars of the main hall. He stared down the stairs and looking out the giant bay windows that showed the snowy world of Noveria.

"Shepard…" Tali said, behind him. He could hear the concern in her voice.

Shaking his head slowly, John let out a long slow breath, and seemed to deflate some. It was a useful technique, something his mother had taught him. "It's fine, Tali," he turned, smiling at her. "We can find another way."

"Excuse me, Commander Shepard?"

Turning again, he turned to see Gianna Parasini, Anoleis's secretary. "What can I do for you Ms. Parasisni?" _Please be something useful_ , he prayed silently.

"I heard Mr. Anoleis denied you a garage pass and access to Peak 15?"

John frowned and nodded. "That's correct. Why do you ask?" _What's your game, lady…._

"Well then, Commander, I think we just might be able to help each other…."

* * *

2 Hours Later

"Oh, Commander," Gianna said, looking at the doorway to Anoleis's office. "You have no idea how long I have been waiting for his."

With an amused look, John shrugged. "I can't imagine. I only talked to him for five minutes and wanted to throw him out the window. You had to actually take orders from the man."

Grunting Gianna turned to John. "Did you know, he likes his _lana'gort_ freshly squeezed and blended with ice?"

"Umm...no?" Shepard took a half step back as he looked the internal affairs agent. Her expression was...unpleasant.

"Oh yes!" her voice had a sickly sweet, mock cheerfulness. "And he liked to throw it at you, if there was too _much_ ice…"

"That sounds...terrible," Shepard nodded. He decided it was safer to just go with it.

"Oh...I am going to enjoy this…." Gianna straightened up and threw open the doors to Anoleis's office.

"What? Commander Shepard? Gianna? What is going on here? This is quite irregular!" the Salarian looked hard at Gianna. "Miss Parasini! I distinctly recall telling you to get me another _lana'gort_!"

An unhealthy smile creeped across Gianna's face as she walked over to the Administrator and took ahold of his arm. "Bel Anoleis, I am with Internal Affairs. I have sufficient evidence to take you into custody. You will come with me. Now."

"What?!" Anoleis exclaimed, disbelievingly. "Take your hands off me this instant! In fact, you are fired! I want you off Noveria! Do you hear me? Fired!"

Gianna's smile actually turned pleasant, like that of a small child being given a new toy. "Does this mean you are going to resist? Please say you are going to resist!"

Leaping to his feet, Anoleis attempted to pull his arm away from Gianna, turning to look desperately at John. "Commander! I demand you arrest this woman!"

John shrugged and held out his hands helplessly. "Sorry, this isn't a Council world. It's governed by the corporations…"

He tried not to take pleasure in watching Gianna twist the Salarian's arm behind his back and slamming his face into his own desk. But, honestly, he couldn't help it. Behind him he heard a small "Yes!" from a certain Quarian's voice modulator.

"Shepard! I'll give you the garage pass! Please!" Anoleis begged, as Gianna put cuffs onto his wrists. Tightly. And began to drag him to the door. "You can't do this! I am the Administrator here! I demand you release me! Ooof…" his rant was suddenly cut off as he slammed face first into the door jam.

"Oh, pardon me!" Gianna said, her voice, dripping with honey. "Do watch yourself!" Then, over her shoulder, "Thanks again Shepard. Remember, I owe you a drink next time I see you!"

John gave her a small wave. "Looking forward to it!"

As the woman exited the building, pulling along the _former_ administrator, who, incidentally, seemed to be very accident prone. He seemed to keep running into pillars and door jams; John turned to Garrus and Tali.

"Okay guys, I'll head up to the garage and find us a vehicle, you two go back to the Normandy and get the rest of the team.

"Sure thing."

"Will do."

* * *

15 Minutes Later

"No way."

"Won't do it…."

"Guys! Look what I found!" John gestured to the Mako, that he was currently sitting on. He have the armor a pat next to him. "I already got him started and warmed up!"

"Goddess…" Liara, said under her breath.

"Dear God, who art in Heaven," Ashley started.

"Shepard…"Tali asked.

"Yeah?"

"Why is the Mako a male? It's a vehicle. It doesn't have a gender. Now that I think about it...you refer to the one on the Normandy as female."

"I dunno," he replied with a shrug. "This guy just feels male. And ours just feels female."

"Huh…."

* * *

Salarion Lexicon

Lana'gort: Salarian equivalent of coffee. It is made by squeezing larval Gort flies and blending the resulting fluid with sweetened water. To humans, it smells like fish that had been left in the sun for a week, and tastes like lighter fluid.

Gort Fly: Insect life that is seventeen centimeters long. It feeds on carrion that it stores in small holes in boggy swamps or other places of stagnant water.


	22. CH22 Noveria

John. Noveria, Peak 15

"So...Rachni, huh," Garrus stood, watching through the window as the plasma jets cooked the two large soldier variants, as well a decent number of the smaller worker type ones.

Wiping off some of the green goo that had spattered her armor, with her hands, Ashley grimianced. "Well, whatever they are, they are also disgusting…"

"Rachni…." Wrex said quietly. "Shepard, you bring me to the most wonderful places."

Spitting some of the same green goo that covered Ashley, John leaned over, his hands on his knees. "Well, not exactly the kind of place I would take a first date, right Tali?" he asked with a chuckle.

The Quarian herself was wiping some of the collected alien insect grime from her armor's pauldrons. "What? Oh...Date?" she paused as if caught doing something she shouldn't and stepped back. "No, this would not be a place for...um, that…"

"What could my mother be doing here…." Liara stood to one side, one arm was wrapped around her body, while she rubbed her chin with the other.

John shook his head again, this time in amazement. All that frantic battle, and her armor was, seemingly, untouched. _Guess that is a benefit of being a powerful biotic._

"So...you don't know anything about it?" he heard Ashley ask. Her voice was harsh, accusatory.

* * *

Ashley

She had given up trying to clean off her armor. Between the gouges from the rachni's tentacles, and the pockmarks left by the acid the damn things spit, this armor was probably a lost cause. _Shame too, Shepard bought it for me…._

As her thought brought him to mind, Ash looked over to the man himself. He was catching his breath as Tali attempted to clean some of the slime from him. _It's kinda cute, how she dotes on him,_ she thought. _It's like he is her big brother or something._

Her smile melted, though, as she caught Shepard's line of sight. He was looking at _her_. Liara was standing by herself, but Shepard was looking over her body. Part of her wanted to be impressed with Shepard's ability to keep those things in mind even in this situation, but the other parts were convinced it had something to do with that weird mind meld thing they had done.

"What could my mother be doing here…?" she heard Liara mutter.

"So...you don't know anything about it?" Ash snapped at the asari. "All of this. Saren, rachni, geth….you don't know a single thing about any of it?"

Startled, Liara turned, her eyes wide. "I told you, I hadn't talked to my mother in years! I don't know what she could be doing here!"

Gripping her rifle, Ash took a step towards the woman when Garrus stepped between them. "How about we finish dealing with the giant killer insects before we turn on each other, hmmm," he said. He was facing her when he said it, Ashley noted. _Yeah...they would stand together._

"Enough!" Shepard half yelled, standing to his full height. "Liara said she doesn't know, so she doesn't know. How about we get through here and ask the Matriarch herself?"

"Thank you, Shepard," Liara said quietly, looking up at him through half lidded eyes.

 _That bitch…._

* * *

John, Noveria, Hot Labs

"We thought we could control the offspring, but it didn't work, they went crazy," the scientist, Yaroslev Tarakovsky, told them. "If they hatch, separated from the queen, if they don't have the contact with the Queen, it's like their minds shatter. They are uncontrollable."

"So...you find a rachni queen egg, hatch it, then try to control the murderous offspring," Garrus said nodding to himself. "Have you never watched a vid? I mean, seriously, That is like, _the_ single most used plot…. _ever_!"

Yaroslev nodded his head, looking down. "I know. We were so caught up in whether or not we _could_ do it, we didn't stop to think whether or not we _should_."

"How about this," Wrex stepped up. "You should _never_ bring back a species that almost ate the galaxy? Seems fairly simple."

Despite himself, John chuckled. "Well, either way. They're here, so let's figure out a way to stop them before they eat us."

'Neutron purge," Yaroslev said, looking up. "It's the failsafe. The bombardment superheats the lab, sinking it into the glacier, at the same time, wiping out anything biological."

John looked at him a moment and nodded. "Let's do it then."

"Alright, I have the code here, it needs to be input in the-ulk!" the scientist was interrupted by the bladed tentacle of a soldier rachni, bursting through his chest, from behind.

As the creature pulled itself out of the air duct, John was struck again by the ridiculousness of something the size of a pony, well, a pony with two bladed tentacle, six eyes, and a five mandibled jaw; could fit through the tight spaces.

Snapping up his rifle, he fired several rounds into the thing, blowing it's green innards over the wall behind it.

Beside him, Garrus began firing at the swarm of hand sized workers as they came pouring out of a different duct. "Ya, know. I think, that if I ever get a lair, it will have small air ducts. Just to be different," he said, almost sadly.

"Ha!" Wrex laughed. "That's what all the criminal masterminds say in the beginning. 'I'm going to have small vents' or 'my evil minions will have helmets they can see easily out of!' none of them ever follow through." As the Krogan spoke, he caught a soldier by the tentacles and stomped his foot down on the creature's head, crushing it, and ripping the tentacles from its body at the same time.

A singularity formed, it's black vortex of gravity yanking a dozen of the workers into the air and ripping them apart as the energy swirled inward. "Why not just put traps in the ducts, since they are always used by the hero?" Liara suggested, glowing with power.

"Tali, grab the code!" Shepard called as he stepped up to cover her. "Personally, I think having a lair in general is kinda dumb. I mean, why put all your plans in one place?"

As she downloaded the code, Tali stood and turned, pressing her back against John's firing several rounds into the last of the soldiers. "What about a fake lair?" she said, contemplatively.

"What?" "No!" "That's just silly, came the chorus around them.

"No, hang on, let's hear her out," John said, supportively, as he biotically threw a pile of the workers into the far wall, pulping their bodies.. "I'm sure she has some point for such a brazen idea."

As Wrex crushed the last of the workers underfoot, Tali rushed to the control console, Shepard close behind her. "So, like, you go ahead and have the great lair, and you get guys for it, the lame ones that can't hit anything, and have ineffectual armor," she continued as she began to input the code. "Like, you put it someplace menacing, like, in an old refinery, or a space station orbiting a giant star…"

"Why can't evil lairs ever be on some nice tropical world? With sunny beaches and friendly wildlife," Garrus cut in.

"Hey, I wanted to hear her idea, it was getting interesting," Wrex gestured to Tali to continue.

"Okay, code is in!" she called. "Purge will occur in one hundred and twenty seconds!"

"Alright! Let's move, people!" John ordered, falling in behind the Quarian as they ran for the Hot Lab's exit. "Continue, Tali!"

"Right!" she yelled, as she ran. _And she runs fast,_ John noted, looking at her legs.

"So, when the hero arrives, and fights his way to the throne room or something, you just blow it up!"

"Without even gloating?" Garrus asked, sounding insulted. "What kind of evil mastermind would that be?"

A rachni soldier dropped in front of the group, but Wrex barreled into the creature, crushing it with his hands and throwing it's carcass aside without breaking strike. "Not bad," he said. "But you wouldn't even need to let him get that far!"

"Oh!" Liara cut in. "Like, putting the doomsday trap, three rooms in or something?" As a pile of workers dropped from overhead, she hit them with a pull, leaving them floating aimlessly behind as they ran on.

Tali fired three shots from her shotgun, dropping another soldier. "Yeah, like, as soon as they pick the lock or something."

John hit the wall next to the exit door with his back, firing behind the team, into the rachni rush. "So, what you are saying is, disarming an obvious trap is what sets off the doomsday device?"

As the team passed through the door, it slammed shut. They could hear the neutron purge pouring through the lab, and the ice cracking beneath it. "Exactly!" Tali said, with a nod of her helmet.

The rest of the group stood, looking at each other, then at her. "N-no good?" she stammered.

"Perfect!" "Amazing!" "You are going to be the best evil overlord!"

* * *

10 Minutes Later

"Well, well…" the security chief, Han Olar said, blocking their path. "Didn't expect you to make it out of the Hot Labs, did we boys?" He glanced at his security squad, all of whom smirked, or laughed. "Got to say, glad you did though, Matriarch Benezia will reward us for killing you our-*blam* HURK!" Han's body was thrown back through the grouping of his men, landing in a heap.

"Look, we're in a hurry, can you guys either get out of the way or let us kill you?" Tali said, her tone was exacerbated. "Seriously. We just had the evil lord conversation."

* * *

John

"Dammit, Benezia! It doesn't have to be like this!" John quickly ducked back behind the stone pillar he had been leaning out from. The packet of dark energy that the Matriarch had thrown impacted, crushing a gaping hole nearly completely through.

"I'm afraid that it does, Shepard," Benezia's voice was calm, assured, but yet, had a tinge of desperation. "You are a threat to Saren. And therefore, must be eliminated. When I am done with you, I shall take my daughter away from your influence, and she will understand his work!"

All around him came the sounds of battle. Weapons firing, biotic energies flying, the screams and yells of those fighting. John ground his teeth in frustration. He didn't want to have to fight Liara's mother, didn't want to have to kill her.

"Shepard!" he heard Tali's voice cry out.

* * *

Tali

"Have you faced Asari Commandos, Commander Shepard? Not many humans have…" Benezia had said. And it appeared to not be an idle threat. While Shepard focused on the Matriarch, Tali and the others moved to cut the commandos off, before they could reach him.

"Tali...You are a stupid girl, and you are going to get yourself killed terribly…." she muttered to herself, as she crawled a few feet forward, under the cover of the short step up between two of the layered platforms that led up to the main dias. "What in the Ancestor's name are you doing in a Secret Overlord's Lab, fighting his Elite Minions? Hadn't we been over all this?"

Taking a deep breath, Tali popped her head and shotgun up, firing into the back of one of the commandos. Two shots dropped her shields, while the third dropped her, even as she began to turn to face her attacker.

Not even waiting to see the Asari fall, Tali dropped back down, moving forward again. "Talking to yourself in the middle of a firefight, that has to be a sign of good mental stability," she said, still talking to herself. "Well, for a silly girl you are doing pretty good…"

Her thoughts were cut off as another commando dropped before her, the Asari's biotic power ripped the shotgun from Tali's hands, sending it spinning away.

Tali, on her hands and knees, looked up into the barrel of the commandos own shotgun, seeing the cruel smirk behind the gun.

" _Dhi'based_ ," she sighed.

* * *

Wrex

"Ha ha!" catching the Asari by the throat, he spun, and slammed her into the ground. Her biotics barrier flared around her, absorbing the damage, but he simply picked her up and slammed her down again. And again. One last time he felt the satisfying _crunch_ of bones breaking, and the commando went limp.

A second commando dropped behind him, from the catwalk above, not catching him by surprise.

A quick pivot of his right leg brought him around as he thrust out his left hand. He caught her square in the chest, and again, a biotic barrier flared. But it wasn't enough. With a snarl, Wrex brought his own biotics to bare, pushing the Asari back and into the wall behind her.

Looking into her eyes, he pressed harder, slowly pushing a hole into the frantic commando's field. The woman kicked at the Krogan's body, and clawed at his massive arm as his hand pressed flat against her chest. And then he closed his fingers, ripping trenches into her armor, and gouges into the flesh beneath, blue blood spilling out over his hand.

With his grip both of armor and flesh, Wrex pulled back and slammed this Asari into the wall, his full weight and biotics behind his strike. Her chest caved under the pressure, more blood spilling out of her mouth now as her body went limp in the crater it had made in the stone wall.

Mass accelerator rounds began to rain onto his shields from behind, but Wrex seemed unfazed and turned around almost lazily, a dead Asari commando in each hand.

With a contemptuous sneer, he held up one of the bodies, letting it absorb the rounds as he reared back and threw the other into the commando that had begun to fire on him.

Knocked flat by the impact of the thrown corpse, the commando shook her head, pushing the body off of herself. As she moved to get up, the Krogan slammed a massive foot down on her chest, pushing her back down.

As the commando looked up at Wrex, her face was a mask of terror, as he tossed aside the bullet ridden body of the first Asari.

Looking down, Wrex shook his head almost sadly. "They don't make Asari Commandos like they used to."

And then, he stepped down.

* * *

Garrus

Kneeling behind a crate, Garrus scoped through his sniper rifle, taking a careful, but quick aim. He gave one shot. He received one kill. Twice more, and he took down two more Asari.

He dropped behind the crate, giving his rifle a chance to vent it's heat, and shook his head. "Where the hell did she get all these commandos? A minion sale on Omega? Buy two get fifty more free?"

"Just keep shooting, bird boy!" Ashley called, from one crate over. "There are plenty to go around."

"Hey! That's racist!" Garrus paused and looked over at the human woman. "Specisist? Now I'm not sure…"

Ashley shook her head and fired over the crates. "I vote 'specisist', but that is mostly because it is more fun to say."

"Works for me!" Garrus chuckled as he popped back up and fired two shots, bringing down shields as Ashley cut them down. "What do you think, Kaiden?"

Dropping to a seat next to the Turian, Kaiden looked at him thoughtfully. "I don't know. I am leaning more towards 'racist', myself."

Sparing him a look, Garrus shook his head and glanced over to Ashley. "Looks like 'speciesist' it is!"

Kaiden snorted, offended. "Hey!"

* * *

Tali

As the Asari smiled down,with a sadistic grin, Tali's eyes narrowed. Her hand shot up, knocking the Asari's rifle aside, as she lunged up. Holding her fingers straight, she threw her weight behind her strike as she jammed her hand into the joint of the commando's armor, between her leg and groin.

With a yelp of pain, the Asari stumbled back, but Tali kept her forward rush, her other hand swinging around in a fist and crashing into the other woman's jaw, sending her spinning to the ground.

Again, Tali didn't give the Asari a chance to catch herself. As she lay on her back stunned, Tali jumped, and threw herself, knees pointed down, into the commando's stomach, just below her rib cage. With a sickening _crunch_ , the Asari shuddered, and spat blue blood, before lying still.

Breathing heavily, Tali rolled off the Asari's corpse and crawled to her shotgun, gripping it tightly. Giving herself a second to catch her breath, she peeked over the ledge next to her, just as another commando dropped from the catwalks above.

This one, though, moved on Shepard, where he was distracted by his duel with Benezia. Taking quick aim, Tali pulled the trigger of her shotgun. But to her horror, the weapon must have been damaged, as it simply clicked in her hands.

Standing quickly, Tali reared back and threw her shotgun, sending it spinning end over end, before hitting the Commando in the shoulder, half spinning and half stunning her.

"Shepard!" Tali yelled a warning, as she reached down and drew the blade she kept strapped to her right foot, and leaping forward, her powerful legs sending her crashing into the staggered Asari commando.

As the pair went down in a heap, Tali brought down her knife, over and over. She wasn't sure she was doing anything to the other woman until her arm came back covered in blue sticky blood, the Asari, shuddering beneath her.

Dropping off the body, Tali rolled aside, desperately trying to catch her breath.

"Tali!" she heard Shepard's voice call out.

* * *

Liara

Slapping Geth platforms aside, Liara reached out with her power, crushing one of the commandos under her own weight. She had never pushed her biotics this hard before, did not really understand the scope of it. But she was forced to learn now. And quickly.

Her own mother, Matriarch Benezia, her idol and hero, and teacher, reached out to her. But not with a mother's touch. She reached out with the power and skill of a Matriarch, her craft honed for close to a thousand years.

Ducking a bundle of warp energy, and desperately pushing another just to the side, Liara staggered back. Despite the sounds of battle all around her, she could not look away, she was able to hold her own at the moment, if only barely.

"Tali!" she heard Shepard cry out. And she saw her mother...no, she saw Matriarch Benezia, turn, her dark purple aura flaring widely around her. Liara was amazed, terrified. She had never seen anyone wield such enormous power. But now she saw it being wielded at Shepard.

Just as Shepard ran for Tali, she ran for Shepard, even as Benezia's power thrust forward to crush the human. Even as she stepped between Benezia and her target, Liara's power flared as she drew as hard as she could on the dark energy.

She reached out a hand desperately, catching the flood of power Benezia threw. Catching it, and holding it. The dark purple torrent impacted on her bright blue field, pushing back and forth against each other. But she could feel herself slowly being pushed back.

Her feet slowly slid back along the smooth stone floor, even as she grabbed an outthrust arm with her other, bracing it. Her teeth grit, then bared as she struggled against the warping of gravity that was so powerful now, that bits of the stone floor between them was dissolving upward into the forming singularity.

"Mother! Please!" she cried, as tears rolled down her cheeks. She stared into Benezia's nearly blank eyes, but for a moment, she saw her mother flicker in them. She felt the push slacken just a touch. But it was enough for Liara to catch herself.

"Little Wing…." Benezia, no. This time it was her mother, quietly spoke. "Please...I can't fight him...The Mu Relay. I've already given the location to Saren… It's in the Rachni Queen." Her mother's eyes pleaded with her now. "You have to kill me, I will never be me again…"

Then, the next instant, her mother was gone, and Benezia struck back, her power growing again, threatening to overwhelm Liara.

But then Shepard was there. He wrapped an arm around her waist, helping to brace her, even as his own biotic field was brought to bare. He was not particularly strong, but what he lacked in raw power, he made up for in skill.

As he reached out, and placed his hand on her outstretched arm, he wrapped his power into hers. He shaped her energy, pulling it into a sort of wedge shape. Liara felt the change almost immediately.

Benezia's energy was split, deflecting to either said of them now. The pressure was eased enough that she, along with Shepard managed a step forward. The another. Together they pushed onward, toward the crazed Matriarch.

Then the power was gone. Liara and Shepard, stumbled forward, losing their focus as their biotics dissipated. Confused and worried they looked up to see Benezia. And Wrex.

The great Krogan held one of the Matriarch's forearms in each of his massive hands. Both combatants glowed against each other briefly, but Wrex just squeezed down, crushing the bones in his grip.

Benezia screamed in pain as her biotic field flicked, no longer the controlled mass of dark energy. Now it rippled and sparked as Wrex lifted the Matriarch off of her feet, and looked her straight in the eye.

"They don't make Matriarchs like they used to either," he growled. He then reared back his head and smashed his thick headplate into Benezia's face, even as her released his grip on her arms. Sending her tumbling, to impact into one of the large tanks of greenish fluid.

"Mother!" Liara cried, half running and half stumbling forward.

Her mother looked up at her daughter, and smiled. "My little wing…" she gasped, her shaking hand taking Liara's and grasping it tightly. "Sovereign. Saren's flagship. It's more than it seems. It is powerful. The longer you stay in his presence, the more his worlds feel _right_. The more he takes away your mind." she coughed once, blood spilling from her mouth. "You must stop him. Shepard will have the knowledge. The Queen knows where the relay is located."

"No, mother, please!" Liara begged. "We have medi-gel, maybe…."

"Let me go little wing," her mother caressed the side of her face. "Remember...you always made me proud." With one last smile, Matriarch Benezia, died in her daughter's arms.

* * *

Quarain Lexicon

Dhi'based: A bitter nut native to Rannoch. Ingestion causes uncontrollable bowel movements and crippling cramps. Has become a generalized curse word. Equivalent to saying 'shit'.


	23. CH23 After Noveria

John, SSV Normandy

"Not sure releasing the creature that nearly destroyed the galaxy was the greatest idea there, Boss," Garrus shrugged as he stowed his gear in the locker next to John's.

For a moment, John didn't quite register what his friend had said. The Turian was a foot away, but he sounded like he was on the other side of the cargo bay. He shook his head to attempt to clear the fuzziness, but the act just left him slightly dizzy.

"I'm not going to be the one to condemn a species to extinction," John replied wearily, before looking at Tali for a moment. "Especially not for mistakes made generations ago, by somebody else."

Garrus followed John's gaze before looking back to the human. "If you had said that at the beginning of this fool crusade I would have said you were insane. But now," it was Garrus's turn to shake his head. "Now I've learned more of who the Quarians and Krogan really are. Gotta say, I am a bit ashamed of myself."

Beside John, Kaiden closed his locker and nodded. "Yeah, I fell into that trap myself," he admitted. "Get told something enough, you start to believe it, even if you haven't encountered it."

Frowning, John looked down at his armor's chest piece. He was having difficulty getting it off. It seemed to be stuck somehow, and every time he tugged on it, black circles intruded on his vision.

"Boss? You okay?" Garrus was looking at him concerned. "You look pale…"

A second later John blinked and looked up again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired," John sighed deeply, but winced at a sharp pain in his side. "Armor is stuck a bit is all. Ribs are a bit sore…"

"Shepard?" hearing the unique accent through the modulated speaker of her helmet, John smiled and looked at Tali. He wobbled slightly on his feet.

"You don't look so good," Tali gently touched his arm. For some reason, Tali's concern made him feel warm inside, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face if he wanted to.

"I was just telling Garrus, my armor is stuck a bit…." Running his hand down over his armor, he felt a catch. A bit of debris seemed to have gotten caught in the seem on the right side of his torso where the front and back pieces of the shell came together. It was probably the source of the pain he felt just below his ribs. "Oh, hang on, I think I found it…"

It was difficult to get a solid grip, but John gripped the bit and attempted to pull it out. It hurt quite a bit, and seemed pretty well lodged in his armor. Though, for some reason, pulling on it made his vision white out for a second.

"Wait," Garrus sounded concerned. "Shepard, maybe you should get Dr. Chakwas to look at it?"

"Yeah, Shepard," Tali agree. "I'll call her now."

"No, wait, I got it," John waved down the Quarion as she brought up her omnitool.

"Shepard! Stop!" Kaiden sounded alarmed, attempting to stop John. He didn't understand what was wrong with Kaiden….

Reaching back down to the object in his side he gave it a good solid yank and it, painfully, came free in his hand. He tried to look at it, but everything was swimming. He stepped back, trying to catch his balance before leaning hard against the lockers.

" _Keelah_! Shepard!" he heard Tali's lovely voice.

"Shepard!" Garrus's voice wasn't particularly pleasant.

It was more of a struggle than it should have been, but John managed to push himself upright and took a step toward Tali. Or, at least, that was his plan. When he tried to push away from the locker, his leg simply ceased to function, dumping him into Tali's arms.

He could feel his arms go around her shoulders, as his head landed on her shoulder. Her arms wrapped around him, trying to hold him up as she staggered backwards under his sudden weight.

" _Keelah_! Shepard!" Tali cried out. "Garrus! We need to get him to medical!"

He was sure Garrus responded. John could hear the subharmonics in the air, but he couldn't make out any words. "Don't leave…." he mumbled.

"Sh-Shepard?" he heard a slightly mechanized voice speaking. "What do you mean…"

He didn't catch the rest as he decided to just take a nap. He _was_ pretty tired.

* * *

John, Akuze

"No, no, no, no, NO!" John cried. He grabbed Kepper by her weapon harness and lifted her. "We don't have time! We can't stop here!"

"What do you want us to do, Shepard?" Jones yelled back. "We go back out onto the sand, and we are dead!"

"We can't stay here, the damn thing will bring the cave down on us," John tried to explain to the man, but he just shook his head.

Lance Corporal Tyde Jones stood and shoved John back against the wall, nearly making him drop Kepper. "You can fuck right off, _Lieutenant!_ It's your fucking fault we are here to begin with!"

Private Renna Kepper groaned as she squeezed her arm around John's neck, desperately hanging on. "S'okay L.T., you can leave me here. You and Pina can get the Mako and bring it back here, yeah?"

John bowed his head. Pina...Kepper was delirious to the point that she did not even remember that her best friend had already been killed. Or that the Mako had already been destroyed, pulled under by one of the enormous Maws.

"I told Pina I would get you out of here Kepper. That's my plan," John shrugged her up higher on his shoulder, eliciting a quiet groan of pain as he jostled her broken leg. It was splinted, but they needed to get to a proper med station before they could get the bone back into place

John turned and move to the mouth of the cave, opposite the one they had entered, and looked out, searching. _I don't know why I am even bothering,_ he admonished himself. _It's not like you can see the damn Maws until they strike!_

There was another rumble, as the ground shook. Dust and debris fell from the cave's roof. "No more time, Jones! We need to make a break now!" John yelled back to the only other member of the squad left.

"I said you could fuck off! I'm not-" Jones was cut off, as one of the Maws erupted from the ground in front of the cave's opening they had entered. The worm-like creature slammed itself against the stone, again and again. Rocks began to break from the ceiling as it shattered with a deafening *crack*.

As the cave collapsed, the shock threw John and Kepper off the rocky shelf they had been standing on, dropping them to the relatively loose sand below.

They both bounced and rolled, Kepper screaming as her already broken leg slammed down. John drug himself to his feet, shaking his head as he looked around for the fallen woman, finding her lying on her side a few feet from him.

"Kepper!" he called rushing over to her and gently turning her over onto her back, but it was already too late. As she fell, her head had struck a sharp stone, cracking her skull. Her blood was slowly absorbed by the sand beneath her as John slammed his hand down onto the ground.

They were all gone. Every soldier that had put their lives in his hands. Every single one of them died. And it was his fault. He failed them. He led them to their deaths.

With tears in his eyes, John took Kepper's tag and placed it in his pocket with the others. At least, the ones he could save.

Then the ground erupted again, but something was wrong. It wasn't a Thresher Maw. Instead, it was some insect like creature, claws and bladed tentacles flew down for him, to cut him to ribbons…..

* * *

Liara, SSV Normandy

Pacing back and forth in front of the med bay's darkened windows did not help. No matter how many times Liara walked, turned around, and walked some more, it wouldn't speed up Dr. Chakwas, or fix the rachni poison in Shepard's system. But she could not stop herself. She could not stop. Especially right now. Shepard was too important.

Saren had stolen her mother's mind. He made her try to kill Liara. He took her mother's followers and disciples, and destroyed her legacy. And the worst part of it, Liara could see her mother inside, desperately fighting. Someplace inside she never gave up.

But Shapard. He protected her through the battle, he helped ease her mother's pain, even at the end. He was there for her. He held her when she cried, even with his wound, and the poison.

Now Shepard had to fight for his own life because of Saren. She would kill him! She would rip his plate from his body! She would crush every bone in his body! She would…..

"LIARA!" Kaiden's voice echoed in her head, breaking her out of her downward spiral.

Startled she froze, looking up at the human biotic, her eyes wide. "What?" she asked, looking around at the rest of the team. They all stared back at her, their eyes all wide, Tali's in fear, Garrus's in concern, Ashley's...something she couldn't quite see…

Except for Wrex. When Shepard had collapsed, everybody else had panicked or frozen, but the Krogan just swept up the Commander in his arms and carried him straight to the elevator and to the med bay, calling the doctor as he went. Now though, he simply stood in the back, leaning against a bulkhead. Hit eyes were closed.

Wrex. She….didn't understand her own mind right now, but...she was grateful toward him. He did what she could not bring herself to do. He had freed her mother from Saren's control. He stopped her mother from harming anybody else.

But...Saren….

 _Saren…._

"Liara!" Kaiden yelled again. Again her attention snapped to him. That was when she realized what was wrong. Her biotics were throbbing, nearly out of control. She could see her own aura twisting about her, she could see the paint from the walls and floor disintegrating into the vortex around her.

Closing her eyes, Liara took a deep breath. She focused on the lessons her mother had taught her. The lessons from when they had been just a mother, and a daughter, and played and laughed together.

 _Center yourself, little wing_ , her mother had said. _Make yourself the rock in the pond. Let the water move around you. Let your mind be yours._

 _But mother,_ she had said. _It's hard! I get angry, or sad, and everything just slips away…_

Her mother had placed her hand on Liara's and smiled warmly. So warmly. _My darling, you feel them. They are your emotions. They are_ your _emotions, though. Feel them, yes, look at them. See them for what they are, for_ why _they are. Understand them, and let them go._

"I will, mother…." Liara spoke quietly to herself as she let out her breath. As she did, the corona around her faded, and she was centered again.

She opened her eyes and smiled a small, sad smile to her companions. "I'm...sorry," she said. She was surprised and glad her voice didn't crack. "I am...better...now."

Tali stood up and walked over to her, taking the Asari's hands in her own. "I only know what it is like to lose a mother," the young girl said. Liara could hear the sympathetic pain in her voice. "But I can't imagine what it must be like for you right now. You have _nothing_ to be sorry for."

One by one, the rest of the crew shared their own sorrow for Liara's loss. None of them pitying, or condescending. Even Ashley, the normal antagonizm absent.

Except for Wrex. He simply leaned against the bulkhead in the back. Now, though, his eyes were open and looking at Liara. As she looked back, their eyes met. In those ancient eyes she saw a hint of sympathy, but more, she saw the strength it took to end her mother's life, taking the burden onto himself, so that Liara's hands wouldn't be stained by her mother's blood.

She smiled a small smile. Wrex simply inclined his head ever so slightly, before taking his leave, back down to the cargo bay.

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy

Watching Laira, pacing back and forth, her biotics flaring up, tears standing in her eyes, was painful. She shared the loss of a mother, but not in such a visceral way. Not so violently.

When Liara's mood shifted, it was to anger. A seething rage. The Asari's stride became longer, she stepped down harder. Her jaw clenched so tight Tali was surprised the woman's teeth didn't shatter. Her hands clenched and unclenched. And most frighteningly, her biotic aura began to whip around her, growing stronger. Tali could see bits of the deck plating warping under the force of it.

"Liara!" It took Kaiden two tries to fully get the woman's attention, and when he did, and Liara realized what she had been doing, she apologized. But Tali understood. She went to the woman and gave her her support. She envied the woman her relationship with Shepard, but felt the pain of a friend.

* * *

Tali, 2 Hours Later

The rest of the crew had moved on. They had shifts to get to. Or sleep, a meal. Except Tali. She stayed. She sat at the mess table, watching the med bay. It had been so long since Shepard had fallen into her arms.

When Wrex scooped him up to take him to the med bay, Shepard had clung to her. He had grasped her _raelk_ , nearly pulling it off her head. As he had been pulled loose, she thought she heard him mumble, "don't go…" in a small voice.

She, along with the rest of the team followed the Krogan up, but had been unceremoniously locked out. With a curt, "Not now." Dr. Charkwas darkened the bay's windows.

And now, Tali sat. It was all she could do, really. She felt an almost physical need to be there for Shepard. Almost wanted to kick down the door to be by his side.

Well...probably not kick. As funny as it would probably be for the small Quarian girl, to kick down a steel bulkhead, like some sort of action vid star, and leap to her love's side. Maybe shout some sort of curse, or prayer to the ancestors.

As she snickered quietly to her fantasy, it dawned on her. In her mind, she had said 'lover's side'. The thought sobered her up, quickly. She...she couldn't be his lover. _I mean...the idea would be….amazing,_ she admitted to herself. _But I am just a young Quarian girl. My first crush and it's with a dashing human captain. If I wrote it, it would seem like some sort of_ Fleet and Flotilla _fan fiction._

 _Besides, he has Liara. She wasn't in some suit. She could touch him, kiss him whenever he wanted...Mmm...kiss…._ The idea of kissing Shepard brought her right back into her daydream. She had gotten curious, and looked up human culture on the extranet, and what she had found was…..shocking...to the Quarian. They mated _so_ much, and _so_ often. They weren't bound to a single mate, the way female Quarians were. And the pornography….the was _so_ much of it. Almost as much as there was of Elcor porn, as weird a concept as that was. And….she _may_ have watched...a little...of it….

 _Kissing,_ Tali shook her head. _They kiss, like Quarians do, they mate, well, different, but very similar to Quarians as well. They both had hair..._ something they shared exclusively. _Humans and Quarians are so similar!_ The similarities almost made her believe in the common ancestor seeding theory.

As her mind drifted back and forth, then finally sunk into more...adult...thoughts, the doors to the med bay opened. Tali shot to her feet and was there almost before the doctor could exit the bay, trying to look past the older human. "Is...is he…?"

Scowling, Dr. Chakwas placed her hands on the girl's shoulders and first, pushed her down, putting her feet flat against the deck, rather than standing on her toes, while trying to peak, then pushed Tali back, allowing the door to close behind her.

"He's fine. He wasn't in any real danger, but I wanted to keep him isolated while the poison was worked out of his system," the doctor said, her voice was stern. "He is sleeping now and will be fine when he wakes up, but for now, he needs the rest."

"Yes, yes! Thank you!" Tali wasn't sure why she was thanking the human doctor. But, she was relieved. She had been so very worried. "I'll, maybe, get some sleep myself." she said, mostly to herself, as she turned for the sleeping pods. _He's alright..._

* * *

Quarian Lexicon

 **Realk:** Cloth covering used by the quarians. It is used to describe not just the hood seen on most, but any material adornment.


	24. CH24 After, After Noveria

Author" Note: This is a shorty, but it's the start of what some of you have been asking about.

* * *

John, SSV Normandy

He ached. Everywhere. Everything hurt. Even his hair hurt. And after the earful he had gotten from Dr. Chakwas, his pride had taken a pretty good battering.

" _What the hell went through your head?" she had demanded._

 _John simply hung his head and looked at his feet. He didn't really have an answer for her. It wasn't like he had planned it out…._

 _*_ thwak! _* something hit him on the head. Hard._

" _Sonofa…." he exclaimed, grabbing the back of his head. He already had a terrible headache from the after effects of the poison, being beat about the head did not help._

 _Looking up, Dr. Chakwas stood over him, she had a datapad in one hand, waving it at him. "I asked you a question,_ Commander _." He wasn't sure why she emphasized his rank, but it irritated him nonetheless._

" _What the hell Karin?!" He glared at her, his fist clenching at his side. "This is not the time to push me, I've had a pretty bad da-"_

" _Don't you '_ What the hell Karin' _me!" she cut him off. "Your day hasn't even_ begun _to get bad! And don't you glare at me!" Taking a step closer, Karin seemed to grow somehow, looking down at him. It was almost like you could see the anger radiating off her like heatwaves, and the way she brandished her datapad sent a chill down his spine._

" _Letting an alien bug stab you, to begin with, was enough. Then, like a genius, you decide '_ Hey, I'm a big tough marine! Nothing can stop me!' _, leaving the damn claw in your side, and not telling anybody-"_

" _But-"_

" _Shut it," she didn't even yell. If anything, she spoke quieter, yet danger rumbled in the distance. "Grown ups are talking." Taking two steps back, Karin sat in her chair and dropped her datapad on the desk. The sound reminded him of a guillotine. "Not only did you decide to do battle with a horde of geth, asari commandos, a swarm of creatures that nearly overwhelmed the galaxy, you duke it out with one of the most powerful Matriarchs of recorded memory."_

" _Look, I-"_

" _What did I say?"_

" _I-what?"_

" _Don't you 'what' me, young man," Karin looked at him as if he were a particularly dim child. "Tell me what I had just said."_

" _Umm…"_

" _Don't hum, answer the question."_

 _Frowning, John looked at her for a moment, but her face was an iron mask. If that iron mask was on the devil himself. He looked away first. "You said that grown ups were talking…."_

" _Yes. And after you did epic battle, you left and returned to the Normandy. But then, you_ still _didn't tell anybody about your injuries," Karin snorted and touched a button on her omnitool, bringing up his body scan. "Like, the cracked orbital socket of your left eye. The two broken fingers on your left hand. The cracked ribs on your left side…" she paused then and looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "I don't know exactly what the grudge you have against the left side of your body, but you should see somebody about it."_

" _It wasn't that bad…" he muttered, lamely._

" _Mmm, no?" her acidic tone could have peeled the armor off the Mako. "How about the bruised right kidney? Maybe the three bullet wounds, to your right thigh, again on the left, shoulder and right hip. Or, I don't know..._ THE CLAW STUCK IN YOUR SIDE, FULL OF POISON _?!"_

" _Alright, you made your point…" he started, but was cut off as a stylus, thrown as perfectly as if it were a knife, struck him in the middle of his forehead, knocking his head back to hit the wall behind him._

" _Not only all of that," Karin's tone had dropped, almost to a growl. "You wait until you are in the cargo bay, and instead of contacting me, your ship's_ medical officer _and, I had thought, your_ friend _, you rip the claw, the_ serrated claw _, now, out of your own body. Then, you have the_ audacity _to collapse on Tali, bleeding all over the poor child. Who knows what kind of issues she could be having right now because of your contamination!"_

 _John winced as he thought of it. She could become seriously ill because of him. He didn't know what he would do if that were the case._

" _She is okay, by the way. I gave her some antihistamines, some antibiotics and an imuno-booster. It's just at the level of a mild head cold," Karin said, deciding to take a little pity on the man. "However, I suggest you have a nice talk with her, and apologize. She even sat outside the med bay, to make sure you were alright."_

 _John rubbed his face with his hands and nodded. She had been worried for him, and neglected herself. He didn't deserve a girl like her. I mean...a crewmember like her…._

" _Now, John," Karin's voice became icy cold. "What do you think your mother is going to have to say about it, when she receives my message?"_

 _Looking up, his eyes went wide out of pure fear. "You wouldn't!"_

 _A slow, lazy smile crept across the doctor's face. It was not a pleasant smile. "I already did."_

He groaned as her remembered it. He was _not_ looking forward to her mother's response. _Well,_ he thought, _at least it isn't Jane…._ A shiver ran through him at the very idea.

Turning back to his terminal he continued his extra-net research on quarians.

* * *

Wrex, SSV Normandy, Cargo Bay

"You mentioned you were on the planet when the war happened. You must be able to tell me _something_!" Shepard nearly begged.

Wrex eyed the human for a moment before jerking his head towards a corner of the bay, out of earshot of the rest of the crew around them. "C'mon, then."

Leaning against the wall, Wrex crossed his arms. "Explain." was all he said.

Shepard ran a hand through his hair and ended rubbing his neck, frowning. _Wonder if Shepard realizes he has that particular nervous habit…_

"All right, I know what happened after we got back from Noveria…"

"Good," Wrex grunted. "I assume then, that you heard about Tali being sick, and that is what this is about?"

"Yes…."

"No."

Blinking a moment Shepard just looked at him. Confused humans just might make his favorite face. It looked a bit like if you hit a vorcha between the eyes with a hammer.

"What..what do you mean 'no'?" Shepard finally sputtered.

"I mean no, I will not tell you about quarians. Find out for yourself," Wrex shook his head. "They aren't my secrets to tell."

"But, I can't find _anything_ solid on the extranet!" Shepard actually kicked the metal floor. It was kind of adorable, really. "Everything I _do_ find is conjecture, or contradicted by itself, sometimes. Even other krogan and asari old enough to know, all tell wildly different tales! There is no way to know what is truth!"

Wrex nodded. "And?"

"What do you mean 'and?'" Shepard growled. To Wrex, it reminded him of a baby varren, trying to roar.

"I mean, 'And?'" the Krogan shrugged. "What is it you want _me_ to tell you?"

"I want you to tell me about quarians!" he was beginning to enjoy making Shepard frustrated. "I _just_ told you I can't find _anything_!"

With a sigh, Wrex shook his head and looked at the ground for a moment. When he looked back up at Shepard, his expression and tone was as if he were talking to a rather dim child. "Elders, of two long lived peoples aren't giving anybody a straight answer. No solid, verifiable facts. And none of this made you think there was a reason?"

With a deep sigh, Shepard seemed to deflate. "I suppose there must be one, I just don't understand it. Like I don't understand why you won't say anything."

"Shepard, I already told you, they aren't my secrets to tell. The quarian people have been crapped on nearly as hard as my people. At heart they are poets, they were, and are still, strong warriors, when they need to be. They were as beautiful as asari, nearly as technologically adept as Salarians, and as good as, if not better than turians when it came to organized combat. And," Wrex punctuated with a jab of a finger. "They supported the Krogan, and condemned the use of the Genophage, refusing to honor the trade restrictions. It was probably one of the reasons the Council dropped the hammer so hard after they lost their homeworld."

The human looked down for a long minute. _Good. Means he is thinking._

"Alright," Shepard looked up again. "Most krogan we've encountered seem to dislike quarians as much as everybody else."

Snorting with disgust, Wrex shook his head. "Krogan have forgotten a lot. We have sunk into a dark place, and don't seem to be able to climb back out."

"What should I do then?" Shepard finally asked.

"Heh, well. In the engineering bay, there just so happens to be…."


	25. CH25 Conversations with a Quarian

Author's Note: To clarify, there is not going to be a full on romance for this version of ME1. Shepard and Tali are going to be dancing around the issue before it being a real romance in ME2, which I am currently writing.

Quarian culture and most of the lexicon borrowed from Calinstel, with permission. Go and read his work, it's amazing.

* * *

"Tali, you have a minute?" Commander Shepard asked, walking into the engineering bay.

Glancing behind her, Tali nodded, "Just a moment. I am setting a diagnostic to run...now." With a final flourish on her control panel, she spun on her toes to face Shepard, her hands clasped behind her back. "I have time while the system runs, what do you need?"

Shepard rubbed the back of his neck as he processed the best way to ask his question. Tali recognized the gesture. It was like how her hands tended to grip each other. A kind of, what was the word Joker used? _Ah, a nervous tick,_ she thought. Though when she looked up a tick in the extranet she got images of a horrible little bug from Earth. Must be something she was missing in the translation. As she thought about it, her head tilted, curiously waiting for Shepard to gather his thoughts.

She watched as his eyes darted to the engineering crew and back to Tali, as he frowned slightly. "Maybe...we should go someplace a bit more private…" he said quietly.

Behind her visor, Tali's eyes widened slightly. Had she done something wrong? Was she in trouble? "O-okay…." Tali's voice was quite, subdued, which deepened Shepard's frown.

"Nothing's wrong, Tali," he assured her. "I wanted to ask you a few things about your people that might be kind of...private?" His sentence ended as a slight question, as if he wasn't sure if he should even ask.

Nodding, Tali realized he wasn't upset, but was embarrassed. He had questions he wanted to ask her that he found embarrassing to ask in public. Questions, that could be embarrassing for him? Or her? Or maybe, more probably, the both of them.

They had talked a great deal about her people. He came to visit her during his rounds, sometimes they would chat while on missions. Garrus, the _bosh'tet_ , tried to make conversation that always went poorly. She had told him about the war with the Geth. She had told him about the flotilla, her people's immune system issues. He had asked her about the Pilgrimages, what living on a starship her whole life was like. They talked about how he had been born in space as well. They talked about quite a lot. But now he had something he wanted to ask in private….

"Maybe," he began. "Maybe we could go to my cabin? For privacy, I mean." he quickly assured her.

Tali could feel her face flush at his suggestion. On the Flotilla, that kind of thing meant something _far_ more than he meant it. Sometimes it was hard to separate her upbringing from the outer galaxy. But Shepard was patient with her, and understanding.

"Sure," she said, as she took a deep breath. "That should be fine. My diagnostic will be a couple hours."

"Good."

"Yeah…"

"..."

"..."

"Will you two just go?" Chief Engineer Adams snapped at the pair. "I'll keep an eye on the boards, it is my job after all. You two are becoming a distraction to my bay."

* * *

Chief Engineer Greg Adams, SSV Normandy

As the Commander and Tali left engineering, Adams keyed his comm to the small cabal's private channel. "This is Cupid 2, the birds are going to nest."

"What does that even mean?" came a rumble.

"I think he is trying to be clandestine," answered a dual harmonic voice.

"Oh, hush you two, give the man his theatricks," the woman admonished the other two.

"Think the Commander's going for it?" the other human male said, his voice nearly dripping sarcasm. "Ah, who am I kidding. They couldn't notice each other if we shot them with glowing paint."

Looking up and the ceiling of his bay, Adams sighed.

* * *

John, SSV Normandy, Captain's Quarters

"Come in," John waved Tali in and gestured toward one of the seats around his small table. "Please, have a seat."

"Th-thank you," Tali stuttered, shuffling forward, nervousness radiating off her in waves.

As she sat, John noticed her hands twining together in her lap. It was a gesture she always did when nervous, or worried. He actually thought it was kind of cute. Though that wasn't something he could exactly say to her.

"Would you care for a drink?" he asked, opening his small personal fridge. "Last time we stopped at the Citadel I picked up some dextro wines and a couples ales, for you and Garrus if we ever got the chance to just sit and chat. You are the lucky winner." he smiled at her, attempting to set her mind at ease.

She paused for a moment and tilted her head, thinking. He was getting good at reading her body language. Or at least he liked to think so. He knew that the way her head shifted, like now, was her thinking pose. If it went the other direction, she was smiling. A forward tilt with it, was a bit more personal of a smile, while a backward tilt was more of a grin.

"Sure," she said suddenly, popping him out of his thought pattern. "I'll try an ale. I've not had much alcohol, only a little Turian wine that went around the ship, and that was only for special occasions. I am curious what ale is like."

"Ale it is," John picked up a sterilized tube of ale for Tali and a beer for himself. As he sat he passed her the tube. Her head gave the little tilt that he had come to recognize as confusion.

"You got sterilized tubes?" she asked, confusion and wonder mixed in her voice.

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy, Captain's Cabin

"You got sterilized tubes?" she asked. When Shepard handed her the sterilized tube of Turian ale, Tali's eyebrows shot up. He went through the expense and time to track down a frivolous drink? For her?

Taking a swig of his own drink her nodded, swallowing. "Sure. Wouldn't be fair to you if I only got stuff for Garrus." he smiled at he before frowning slightly. "I didn't stop to think. Do Quarians have a drinking age?"

"Drinking age? What's a drinking age?"

"Oh, well, I guess that would be a no," Shepard shrugged slightly. "Humans have imposed a age limit one has to be before they are supposed to be able to buy and consume alcohol. Standard Alliance age is the same as official adulthood at eighteen. Same as joining the military and voting."

Tali nodded, listening to Shepard's explanation as she turned the tube over in her hands. "No, we don't have anything like that. We don't have a lot of alcohol to begin with, so it isn't really an issue."

She looked at the tube for a moment longer before slotting it into the slot on the underside of her mask. Once it was secure she took a small pull of it. She let it roll on her tongue a moment, enjoying the feel of the cold bubbles in her mouth before she swallowed it.

She looked up at Shepard, were he sat, with an expectant look on his face. It was an expression she couldn't help but laugh at. "It's interesting. I think I like it. The bubbles tickle the inside of my mouth."

He sat back, then looking slightly relieved. "Good. I was hoping you would like it."

She Tali sat back and drank a little more, a thought occurred to her. "Where did you find Turian ale, sterilized and in tubes?"

Shepard waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, that. I didn't. Seems nobody stocked them. At least nobody I found. I did, however, find a bar run by an Elcor that was willing to set it up for me. I just got a six pack incase you didn't like it. We can get more later."

Tali felt her jaw drop inside her helmet. "Shepard!" she exclaimed. "That must have cost a fortune! I thought you said it was for me or Garrus?"

Shepard looked slightly taken aback, which cut Tali's indignation out from under her. _He went and did something special for you, and you throw it back in his face, stupid girl…_

He blinked a couple times before smiling at her. "I think that might be the first time you yelled at me. It's nice."

"Nice?" Now Tali was confused. Humans were so _weird_!

"Yeah, on ship you are always kinda, withdrawn? That isn't the right term," he leaned back his head as he thought for a moment. "Ah!" He slapped his thigh as he looked back to her. "You seem nervous and over polite. I was hoping to get the Tali I see when we get into talking about some tech thing or another. When we get really going into your people you get the same way."

Tilting her head in confusion, Tali just looked at him for a moment. "And how is my yelling at you, nice?"

"Oh, well," he said rubbing the back of his neck again. "Well, it kind of makes me feel more like friends. Which is something I hope we can be."

Tali sat dumbstruck. He actually wanted to be _friends_. With _her_. She wasn't just some token Quarian he kept around. She wasn't a liability. He _enjoyed_ being with her. She could feel something welling up in her. A joy she had not felt before. She had a real friend!

"I mean...if you want…" Shepard began to look a little worried at her silence.

"Oh! No!...I mean yes! I mean…" Tali took a deep breath and shook herself slightly. "I would love to be your friend, Shepard. I have not really had any, since leaving the Flotilla. To be honest, she said ruefully. "I didn't have many _on_ the Flotilla either."

Shepard smirked at her. "I think you sell yourself a little short Tali."

"What do you mean?" she wasn't entirely sure what the term meant.

"Well, Garrus treat you like a friend. He doesn't verbally spar with people he doesn't like. Wrex has taken an interest in you, though that seems more paternal, weirdly," Shepard frowned slightly before smiling again. "All the ground team likes you. You are just too nervous to notice."

Hanging her head, Tali had no argument. "Really, Shepard...I...You're right. I need to try to talk with the others more. Maybe I'll start with Wrex or Garrus…" She paused for a moment before her head snapped back up. "But you changed the subject."

He laughed and shook his head slowly. "Well, it was worth a shot."

Sitting back up she took another drink and gestured. "Spill."

"Well, I figured I might as well have it all tubed, that way you could have it, and if Garrus wanted some, he could just pour it into a glass or something."

"Well...that makes sense…" Tali allowed. "Still...it had to have been expensive."

"Nah, wasn't too bad," Shepard admitted. "We have been gathering so much salvage and resources, we are doing pretty well. Enough that we can at least give the crew decent food."

Sitting a moment in silence, Tali took a deep breath before speaking again. "So...what did you want to ask about?"

Nodding, Shepard leaned forward and set his empty bottle on the table. "Okay...I am not sure how to ask without being offensive or potentially breaking a cultural taboo…."

"I understand Shepard. You can ask me anything," Tali nodded, preparing herself. _He must want to know what we look like,_ she thought. That was probably one of the most common questions any Quarian got.

"Okay…" Shepard took a deep breath again. "I am not going to ask you what you look like," he started. "I am sure everybody always asks that…"

Tali couldn't hold in her laughter. It just bubbled out of her as she shook her head, shocked. "Shepard, you have no idea. I am pretty sure, the only ones on this ship that haven't asked asked me about that would be you and Wrex."

Still smiling, she gestured to him again, "First thing I want to say is that, if you asked, I would tell you what I look like. Well," she corrected herself. "What I believe I look like. I haven't looked at myself without my visor in a good while."

Shepards eyes widened as he smiled at her. She would do almost anything for that smile. She wanted him to be happy so hard, it was confusing at times.

"Okay, well then, what I would like to know," he paused for a moment again. "Why are there no images of Quarians on the extranet? There is almost nothing about your people at all. It's all just vague references or conjecture. There are some older Asari that make claims, but those are often contradictory as well."

Tali paused, going still, her smile disappeared immediately. "That," she started. "Is probably the last thing I expected you to ask, and the most complicated…."

"If you don't want to talk about it…"

She held up her hand. "It's okay Shepard. Almost nobody asks. It says something about you that you ask why we hide our appearance, instead of what we look like.. I am going to go from start to finish, you can ask me questions after, okay?"

"Sure."

"After the Geth uprising the Quarian people fled our own systems. For whatever reason, the Geth didn't venture outside the Perseus Veil. We went to the Citadel Council, asking for help, but were turned away. In fact, as a punishment, the Council took away our embassy.

Having nothing, we began to build up the Fleet. We sold off what relics of our past we had managed to bring with us. Art, artifacts, anything of value that wasn't necessary for survival.

We were chased out of every system we tried to go to for resources. We petitioned to settle worlds, but were told that they would be better for some other race, or another. We became what we are today. Drifters. Trying to make a home together, without a world.

So, since we were cast out, ignored at best, actively attacked at worst, we withdrew almost completely from the galactic community.

It's not really bragging, to say we are the best computer engineers in the galaxy. We simply are. The Volus might have set up the credit system for the economy, but the extranet, that is Quarian.

And what we made, we could scour. Which is what we did. We released VIs, programs, viruses, all designed to wipe everything about us from existence.

And...It worked. No images, or vids of us still exist. Nothing of Rannoch. Nothing about our colony worlds behind the Veil.

It's all because when the galaxy turned it's back on us, we turned our back on it."

After a moment of silence Tali nodded. "And that is it, as far as I am told. That is what the story is."

Shepard sat back and looked into her eyes as he digested the information. She could see the pain there, in his eye, and the righteous anger of a people scorned, even if they were not his own.

"I am sorry that your people were treated so poorly, Tali. Especially for so long," Shepard looked down at his feet.

"Well," Tali said. "I have a theory as to what the Pilgrimage is really supposed to be."

Looking up he cocked his head. "If I had to guess by your tone of voice, it isn't pleasant."

She laughed lightly. "No, not really," she agreed. "I think it is to show our young how cruel the galaxy is to us. To let us be treated like less than dirt, to scrounge and scramble to find something to bring back to the fleet. It's to make us bitter to the rest of the galaxy, so that we never leave again."

She sat and ran a hand over her visor for a moment. "It probably would have worked if not for you."

"Me?" Shepard pulled his head back, confused.

"Yes," she laughed gently. "You brought me along. You have shown me the galaxy has much more wonder in it than I was led to believe. Wrex, and I suppose Garrus, and the crew here, you have shown me there is hope."

Shepard sat in silence for a moment as he looked into her eyes again. She loved it when he did. It sent a shiver down her spine, the way he seemed to look _into_ her.

"Well, I am pleased to have you with us, my friend, Tali'Zorah nar Rayya," he said simply, holding out his head.

"I am pleased to be here, my friend, Commander Shepard," she returned.

"You know my first name is John, right?"

"Really? This whole time I thought Commander was just a weird human name…."

* * *

Quarian Lexicon

 **Bosh'tet:** Animal, native to Rannoch. With no insect life, other species of life had to fill the niches that on earth fell to the insect. One such niche was the dung beetle. A bosh'tet falls into the category of roller on earth as it moves the dung found to a central location. Though differing in colors, from the green/yellow of the cooler climates to the blue/white in the more tropical areas, they are the same species. Known for apparent inability to distinguish between dung and small rocks, it is considered extremely stupid. Many have been found dead, surrounded by small rocks, as it tried to feed on them.


	26. CH26 UNC: Lost Freeighter

Author's Note: I added this particular side mission because of how much I liked the plot behind it. I feel like it might be a bit over the top though. Let me know what you think!

* * *

Jane, SSV Perugia, Ming System

"Captain, we are coming up on the freighter now," Garcia announced. He had been more lively since he had been relieved of 'practice dummy' duty, Jane noted.

"Very good," Jane nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. Scalding hot. Just as it should be. Not that weak tea shit that John drinks. Like the wuss he is. "Any response on comms?"

Jane glanced over at Ensign Eleanor. The girl was looking a little...rough. In the weeks since she had taken over hand to hand duty, the girl had lost some of that 'fresh from boot' smell. Unfortunately, for the girl anyway, she had accumulated an impressive collection of bruises, including one, very impressive, black eye. _Have to give her credit though_ , Jane thought. _She's really hanging in there. Nearly no complaints and is making a steady improvement. Lost some baby fat too._

"No, sir," Eleanor turned and shrugged. "I'm not getting anything except the automated beacon."

"Hmm," leaning back, Jane steepled her fingers in front of her face, hiding her mouth. She had seen the gesture in an old animated vid as a kid and it stuck in her mind as something a commander did to seem more mysterious. "Any signs of damage? Pirates? Some kind of rupture?"

"I'm not seeing anything like that on my scans," lieutenant Pendlegrass called back, his head shaking as he frowned. Jane noted how quickly the man's hands darted over his displays, watching the screens flicker before shifting between different scan types. _Kid's impressive,_ Jane quirked an eyebrow. It had taken her a year to figure out how to do that. John seemed to come out of the womb with a raised eyebrow. Still pissed her off….

With a frown of her own, Jane leaned back in her seat and brought the ship's logged information up on her personal screen. "Let's see...MSV Worthington….standard freighter...complement of…twelve." As she scanned through the information she shook her head. _Doesn't make any sense. A ship doesn't just go dark._

"Captain!" Pendlegrass called out. "I am seeing some movement in the ultraviolet scans. I'm seeing at least one warm body moving."

"What changed Lieutenant?" Jane brought up the scans to see for herself.

"On a hunch I started to pulse the scan waves. I noticed an odd field fluctuation from the cargo bay, it's generating some kind of….static? I guess? Bad analogy, but the idea is there," Pendlegrass never took his eyes from the scanners as he concentrated. "The energy it was giving off reminded me of loose fusion containment cells. Cargo bay looks full of them."

Jane nodded. "I stand impressed lieutenant," she said simply, as she stood. "Alright people, looks like we have at least one survivor, and I want to know what happened to this ship. I want a marine detachment to meet me in the launch bay, ASAP."

"Sir?" Eleanor spoke up. "You are going down there?"

As she turned around, Jane raised an eyebrow at the ensign. "Eleanor… Have you ever watched those vids, with the dashing ship's captain, who goes off into uncharted space? Goes on the away missions themselves? Finds new life? Then fucks their women?"

Eleanor blinked and shook her head, not understanding. "Um- I mean, Yes, sir?"

"Ensign," Jane frowned now. "Do you, or do you not watch vids with dashing captains that fuck strange beautiful alien women?" Jane paused then and looked thoughtful. "Well, I suppose it doesn't have to be their women. Maybe the captain enjoys all genders, regardless of species."

Blushing a deep red, Eleanor nodded slightly. "Yes, sir, I watch them…."

"Well, Ensign," Jane pulled herself to her full height, her back straight and her nose slightly in the air. "I am _not_ that captain. That's why I brought marines. They get shot at for me. I wish to personally brief them." With a swift turn on her heel, the captain exited the bridge.

Gunnery Chief Hermon Donovich, MSV Worthington

""Still no signs of crew Captain," Chief Donovich slowly scanned the room with his rifle. Getting through the cargo bay had been tricky, with all the unstable fusion containment cells, but they manage to make it without setting any of them off. Now, however, they were onto their third compartment, the mess this time, and still no sign of life.

"Chief! We found something here!" Petty Officer Justine Einz called from the next room over.

As he moved back into the hallway, Donovich noted that four of the six man team were ogling the scene instead of watching out. "Private Dannvers, you will be getting a four day pass next port we are ashore."

"Yes, sir!" Private Becky Dannvers cheerfully called back. But, Donovich noted, did not waver from guarding the hall. _Going to put her in for promotion_ , Donovich nodded to himself. _It's about the right time and the woman certainly has earned it. Sharp one, she is. If overly cheerful. Especially in the morning…_

"Alright Einz, show me what you got….holy…" Pushing the gawkers out of his way, Donovich stepped in behind Einz, into what appeared to be a crew quarters. Three sets of bunks were placed, one on each wall, two foot lockers under each of them. The unusual scene was the blood. There was blood spattering everything, walls, floor, bunks and lockers. Even the ceiling had a decent coating. Somebody died here. "Are you getting this Captain?" His voice was shaky over the comm.

"No, Chief. The way you are swinging your helmet camera around, poor Eleanor is getting motion sick. In fact she's a pretty shade green," the Captains cool voice came back. She always knew just the right thing to say to calm a situation. This time a nervous chuckle ran through his group. It was a bit forced, but a good portion of the tension eased.

"Sorry Captain," Donovich smiled and slowly panned the room with his helmet cam. "It's a mess in here. I'd say the blood looks to be half coagulated. This must have happened in the last three or four days."

"Hmmm," Captain Shepard made that sound when she was contemplating. "What is the temperature?"

Checking his omnitool, Donovich frowned. "I'm showing 45 degrees celsius."

"And airflow?"

Looking at his combat engineer, Sergeant Branson, who shook his head.

"Looks like it's pretty dead. Oxygen scrubbers are active, but no real airflow."

"Though as such," Captain Shepard sounded satisfied. "Blood coagulation slows noticeably at forty degrees. Adding in the lack of air flow, it could be up to two weeks." Donovich was amazed at the Captain's analytics. One would expect he would have been used to it by now.

"Alright, Marines. We have a ship that isn't going to search itself. Assume hostiles, we are going room by room, take it by the numbers people," Donovich shrugged himself back into his weapons harness a bit before stepping back into the hallway.

"Wait! Chief!" Branson called back. "There is an active terminal here. It's damaged but I think I can pull the last log…"

A couple seconds later the image of a a woman whose features and skin color indicated a latin descent. Her black hair was a strawstack of tangles that matched the dark circles under her twitching eyes.

" _They say Jacob's gone. They say his brain isn't functioning anymore, and they want to shut off his machines. But Jacob's the only thing in the world that matters to me. I don't know how to help him and it's tearing me up inside! I just feel so helpless. So damn angry! Dr. Smith gave me some meds to calm down, but I didn't take them. I can't. Not until I figure out a way to help Jacob. I won't give up on him. I won't!"_

"Well," the Captain came back. "You might want to track down Jacob."

Sergeant Michelle Thomas, Medic,, MSV Worthington, Med bay

"This room seems to be the only one in the ship that's untouched," Donovich said, as he looked over Michelle's shoulder. She hated when he did that. The Chief didn't seem to be able to stop himself from sticking his nose into places and getting in the damned way.

"Yes, sir, seems that way," Michelle responded halfheartedly. She didn't need this crap… "Let's see, Jacob Tandy. Age twenty eight, good blood pressure...huh, pretty great cholesterol levels. You could learn something Chief."

"Ha ha," he said wryly. "You aren't here to be comedy relief."

" _No, wait,"_ the Captain came over their comm. " _I think she's on a good tack. There is probably a whole trough of terrible jokes here."_

With a groan, the Chief nudged Michelle. "Thanks, kid. I just want you to know, if I am going down, I'm taking you with me."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you mean, sir," Michelle's face was neutral as always. She never did smile much. Or _ever_ laugh. She had great timing though. "Looks like he was spaced. I am getting mild crystallization of the blood consistent with zero atmo exposure. Also looks like he is brain dead. Complete lack of oxygen.

Donovich had been watching over the Sergeant's shoulder the entire time, but hadn't seen her scan the body. "And how the hell do you know that without examining anything?" he demanded.

Turning, she regarded the Chief with an expressionless face. Slowly she reached out and touched a key on the medical console.

" _Jacob's not going to make it. His brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. There's nothing any of us can do for him now, except let him die with dignity. It's what he would want. I'm more worried about Julia now. She's showing signs of severe depression. I gave her some meds that should help, but I'd better warn the captain."_

The chief stifled a groan, "Sonofa…"

" _Sergeant Thomas, you shall be granted an extra grog ration,"_ The Captain added.

"Thank you Captain," Michelle allowed herself a slight edging of the corner of her mouth.

Sergeant Eobard Branson, Combat Engineer, MSV Worthington, Bridge

"It looks like the captain was able to lock down the main controls before.. _that_ happened to him," Eobard gestured at the headless body sitting in the pilot's seat. The head itself, however, was not missing. In fact the marine squad could see the whole thing. Spattered over the entire bridge.

Chief Donovon grunted, leaning over Eobard's shoulder. _Damnit, I hate when he does that…_ the engineer thought to himself. "Can you get into the systems at all? The Chief asked.

"Please," Eobard scoffed. "Step back and watch a genius at work!" Lacing his finger together, he stretched his fingers out, popping them before jumping into work. _Hmm, surprisingly tough encryption for a common freighter… Wait…_

"Captain?" Eobard sat up and tapped into the comm, while holding a finger towards the Chief. "Encryption Alpha-Eight-one-niner-beta."

" _What? Are you sure?"_ the Captain came back shocked.

"Yes, Ma'am," Eobard confirmed. "I triple checked it."

" _Fuck…"_ there was a short pause before the Captain came back. " _Alright. Marines, hold that bridge. I am coming over."_

When the comm cut out Eobard deflated dropping back into the seat behind him, having forgotten about the mess. "Aww...man..." he groaned as he looked down at his armor.

After a moment of silence a heavy hand dropped onto his shoulder. Looking up, Eobard was treated to the expression of supreme irritation on the Chief's face. "Care to enlighten me as to why you felt the need to go over my head?" the man half growled.

Cursing himself silently, Eobard gestured helplessly at the console. "I hit an encryption that triggered an Alliance sealed code. I don't have the clearance to go any farther."

The Chief frowned down at Eobard. "Allright. Say I buy that, why did you go straight to the Captain instead of going through the chain-of-command?"

With a wince Eobard recognized the tone in the other man's voice. "Protocol, Chief," he shrugged. Noticing the Chief's expression darken he hastily added. "Part of engineer training involves the protocols in case we encounter situations like this."

Somewhat mollified, Chief Donovich huffed and stepped back. "I guess we wait for the Captain then."

Jane, MSV Worthington, Bridge

"Alright people," Jane sighed. "Clear the bridge. I want you to hold the end of the hall. Attention up, there is still a mobile warm body someplace. Scans still can't pinpoint her, so look alive. We clear?"

"Sir, Yes, Sir!" the team exclaimed before heading out of the room.

"Not you Branson," Jane held up a hand stopping the engineer. "You get to stay here."

Looking between Jane and his team, as they filed out, Branson looked confused. "Ma'am?"

Pointing to the chair that he had just vacated, Jane ordered. "Sit. I'm not getting my ass dirty."

With a swallow Branson sat and brought up the console. "Yes, Ma'am."

Fidgeting with her light combat armor, she wondered how marines ever got used to this. _Haven't worn this more than three times since Torfon…_ With a shake of her head, she banished the thoughts. "Alright, you know the drill Branson. I input my codes, you download the data, transfer it to my omnitool."

"Yes," the man nodded. "Then I wipe my tool, I go straight to XO Totes and turn it in and he debriefs me."

"Very good, Branson," she nodded as she opened her omnitool. "And...go."

A flood of data routed through Branson's device to her own. As the data scrolled past, Jane sucked her teeth. _Privateer smugglers. Level two black ops...Cerberus? That's what John warned me about…._

"Captain?" her reverie was broken by the Sergeant. "I have the Worthington's last log from the captain here."

Nodding, Jane gestured. "Hit it. I could use something less heavy. Anything to do with a massacre should do."

Branson stared at her for a moment before blanching. "Mother fuck, I am so not cleared for this…"

"Heh," Jane chuckled. "Well, you will be when this is over. You _will_ have to be isolated until we get to Earth though."

His eyes wide, Branson stared at the console in front of him. "I'm just gonna play this log…"

" _Jacob is showing no signs of brain activity. There's nothing more we can do for him. He wouldn't want to be kept alive by machines, so we're going to disconnect the life support. Dr. Smith is worried about Julia's reaction, though. She can't seem to let Jacob go. The stress is making her implants flare up, causing intense migraines. It'll probably be easier for everyone if we don't tell her until after we shut the life support down. Give her a chance to-Julia! What are you doing here? Why are you- argh!"_

After a moment Jane glanced at Branson. "We have an unstable L2 biotic who has murdered the entire crew…."

As if on cue, weapons fire and screams came from down the hall. "No…"Jane's head snapped around. "Not _my_ marines!"

Almost faster than Branson could register, Jane slapped open the door and charged down the hall.

As she cleared the door, Jane could see the flare of a biotic aura as her marines fired into the blue barriers. It was clear that Julia's unstable emotions were drastically amping her powers, as the biotic reached forward with her power and grasped one of her people, jerking them over her shoulder. Jane could see the marine fly across the mess to impact on the far wall, dropping to the floor bonelessly.

Three more steps. A warp packet hit another of her people, it's energies disintegrating the marine's armor and the stomach beneath.

Two steps. A thrust of energy caught Gunnery Chief Donovich full in the chest, launching him straight back down the hall, forcing Jane to slide on her left leg, to avoid the man's body as he crashed into the open door of the bridge.

One step. Einz was lifted bodily off her feet and the energy began to pull all four of her limbs at once.

Zero. Holding her fingers straight out, Jane struck the biotic under the left armpit, causing a flare of blue, as her strike was deflected by the barrier.

* _tsk*_ Jane clicked her teeth. But Julia stumbled back nevertheless. Her concentration broken, Einz was dropped to the floor, her squad mates immediately pulling her back behind them.

Before the biotic could recover her stance, Jane spun in place, her right foot shooting out, catching the woman in the temple. The barrier blunted the impact, but Julia staggered back farther.

With a snarl, Julia flared her aura again slashing forward to the space Jane occupied a moment before.

As the energy surged at her, Jane had dropped onto her back, letting the wave go over her, even as her legs scissored open, catching both the other woman's ankles, forcing her to collapse into a split.

It was clear that Julia was _not_ known for her flexibility, as she screamed, her hip popping out of the socket.

Continuing her motion, Jane's legs spun her body around and she twisted herself to pop back to her knees a foot away from the biotic. "Nobody touches MY marines!" Jane snarled as she thrusted her thumbs straight into Julia's throat, piercing the flesh and ripping open the arteries underneath.

Jane sat for a moment staring at the woman as she bled out, gurgling one last breath before going still. Slowly she stood up, attempting to wipe some of the blood off of her armor.

Turning, she glanced at her shocked marine squad. They were unmoving, their eyes wide. Jane could see the hints of fear there. "I want you all to report for debrief within the hour. Get me the names of the dead and get Donovich and Einz to medical." Turning once more, she headed back to the shuttle to take her back to the Perugia.

What she didn't realize was that it wasn't her fight that startled her people. It was the predatorily wide, wolfish grin on her face.


	27. CH27 Dead Scientists

John, SSV Normandy

"Coming into orbit now, Commander," Joker called in. "One Ontarom, as ordered."

"Thanks, Joker," John said, patting the other man on the shoulder. "Bring us in within fifteen clicks of the bunker. I'll do a drop with Garrus and Tali."

"Pfft," Joker scoffed. "If you keep giving me these easy plots, my skills are going to waste away."

With a chuckle, John shook his head. "Tell you what. How about I'll fly the ship next, and you can take care of Saren, Sound good?"

"Right, let's do that, Commander," Joker looked up at John and raised an eyebrow. "You plow us into the only asteroid in dark space and I'll fall down and bleed a lot."

"Aww, Joker, you don't give yourself enough credit. After all, you have to have at least made your weapon qualifications."

Turning back to his console, Joker shook his head. "No, I didn't. I bribed the qualifications officer."

Looking down, John blinked. "Really? What about your recertifications?"

Joker tilted his head, thinking. "Bribed again, blackmailed, bribed and this last time, had Wrex threaten him."

"..." John stood staring out the viewport. "Well, good work all around then, I suppose," John nodded. "Now, bring us in, while I get my team."

"As you wish," Joker shrugged.

* * *

Liara, SSV Normandy, Mess

Sitting at the table, Liara slowly stirred her tea. She usually enjoyed the smell of it as it cooled enough to drink, especially after she was introduced to the wondrous food paste from Earth, Honey. Today, though. Today she was concerned.

Shepard had been on edge ever since this mission started. But now the Commander had been unusually absent from the crew, locking himself up in his quarters.

It wasn't just her. She noticed that the crew in general was feeling the tension with the Commander off his usual routine. He wasn't making his rounds to catch up with the crew.

"Liara?"

Jumping, Liara looked up as Kaiden sat at the table. "Something bothering you?" he asked, setting down his own mug. By the smell, it was coffee. She had no idea how humans could stomach the stuff.

"I...was just worried about the Commander," she admitted, wrapping her hands around the warm mug. "He's been moody the last few days, he hasn't been talking to anybody, and now he is going on this mission that nobody really knows about."

Kaiden regarded her for a moment before nodding. "I see. Yeah, I can see why you and the crew are on edge. But really, it isn't anything to worry too much about. Shepard will be fine in a few days."

Frowning, Liara tapped her mug on the table a couple of times. "How could you know that?" she demanded, a little more venom in her voice than she intended.

Taking her irritation in stride, Kaiden leaned forward slightly. "Do you know about Akuze?" he asked, seriously.

"That was when Shepard was almost killed by thresher maws, wasn't it? I remember seeing something about it when I first come onboard. I wanted to know something about the man, after all."

With a nod, Kaiden shifted himself. "Yes, well, it's more than that. His entire platoon was wiped out. Every one of them. Most, right in front of his eyes."

"Goddess…" Liara gasped quietly, her hand going to her mouth. "I can't imagine…."

"None of us can," Kaiden confirmed. "Except maybe Wrex. But the point is today is the anniversary. Six years ago." Pushing his coffee around on the table, Kaiden shook his head. "I asked a couple people I knew about it. The word is that he always gets moody and isolates himself for a few days."

Liara's concern was written clearly on her face. "And he is going on a mission today? Will he be alright?"

Laughing, Kaiden leaned back. "Of course he'll be okay. He's Commander Shepard!"

* * *

Garrus, Ontarom

This had been a shitty mission all around. First, Shepard had been weird the last few days. Luckily, Garrus was a pretty decent investigator when he was with C-Sec. Not that it was difficult to find out about the incident on Akuze and how it was the anniversary of the incident. Would have been nice if the human had confided a little in his team, he hadn't even been talking to Tali, and the girl had worked herself into an emotional wreck, convincing herself it was her fault. THAT particular bit had been a pain in the ass to iron out.

Secondly, they had to do another spirits-damned drop in the spirits-damned Mako. If the Geth or Saren didn't kill them, Shepard's driving would. They way he drove, they would probably die of heart failure long before they saw the rogue Spectre.

Now, though. Now, it was a slog through a nightmare factory. Tanks filled the rooms of the bunker. Tanks filled with a slightly greenish fluid. And in the fluid were beings that _used_ to be human. Now, though, they were husks. The same grey flesh, the blue synthetic wires and metal and blue lights.

On some tables lay bodies of husks, cut open, like for a dissection, their internal organs visible. Worse, however, were the bodies of humans that had not completely gone through the change. Humans whose bodies had only some of the intruding cybernetic cancer. Some...were children.

The worst part was probably when the husks would come, groaning out of some hall, or back room. Some still dripping that strange liquid, or trailing their internals behind them

Glancing at Shepard, Garrus was concerned. The man's face was hard, but expressionless. It was as if he had turned off his emotions, not that Garrus could blame him. Not seeing all this.

He looked then, over at Tali. Her posture was all cramped up, like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. She did her best to avert her eyes from the worst of the atrocities. Worse yet was how she was avoiding Shepard's gaze.

It was down right torture for all of them. Any other mission, and the three of them, at least, would be trading barbed comments and jokes at each other's expense. Enough was enough.

"Wait," he said, stepping aside and leaning against a wall.

"What?" Shepard turned, his rifle up and searching.

Tali, on the other hand, stepped behind Garrus, out of Shepard's line of sight. She seemed to be shivering slightly.

"Garrus…" Shepard started with a dark scowl, but the turian hald up a hand.

"Shepard," Garrus said, turning slightly so that Shepard could see Tali's form.

Her body, was indeed shivering slightly as her head darted around, snapping to any sound or play of shadow. Her shotgun was held so tightly in her grip, he almost expected her to leave dents in the metal.

"Tali," Shepard whispered quietly, his expression one of shock. Looking up at Garrus, he shook his head slightly, as if shaking away something in his head. "Something isn't right here," the man said. "Something is off…"

Stepping forward, Shepard reached a hand out to Tali, who spun quickly to face him, her chest heaving, as her breaths came quickly. "She..Shepard?" she asked quietly. "I...I...this place…."

As Garrus stepped aside, Shepard moved closer to the quarian and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. To their surprise, she didn't flinch or shrink away. Instead, her shivering stopped as she stepped closer to the human, almost huddling to him.

After nearly a minute, Garrus was done. He stepped up behind Shepard and leaned his head on the man's shoulder. "Shepard. Hold me too…." he said in a strange, dual toned sing-song voice.

The other pair froze as Garrus snuggled up a bit closer to Shepard's back. "So warm…" the Turian crooned.

* _Snerk_ * A sound came from Tali. Slowly, it started so quietly, neither of the men were sure they heard anything. But then slowly her voice raised in volume and she began to snicker quietly, then laugh. After a moment, she took a deep breath and leaned her helmet on Shepard's other shoulder, looking at Garrus. "No. You're an evil raptor-man. You just want to take advantage of poor Shepard."

Gasping, Garrus jerked back, his hand on his chest. "I would _never_ take advantage of him! I would make an honest man out of him!" the turian proclaimed. "And...I have no idea what a 'raptor-man' is."

"Ah.." Tali stepped back as well, looking up at Garrus. "I actually don't know either. I just remembering hearing Joker say something like it once."

"Hmm, guess I will have to go and _interrogate_ him when we get back…" Garrus grunted, shaking his head. "Some people have no respect."

"Guys," Shepard sighed, dramatically. "Can we do this when we are not in some sort of carnival of terror?"

Garrus glanced over at Tali, but saw the same question in her...eyes? Visor? Well, saw the same question. "Shepard, what is a carnival?"

"Oh, goddess…" the human muttered, dropping his face into his hands.

* * *

John, Onatarom

Husks. It had to be husks. Working their way through the bunker had been hellish. It was like some bad zombie vid. Another childhood joy crushed, he noted. But what he hadn't seen was the toll it was taking on his team. Luckily, Garrus had seen it, and taken steps to break the tension before it broke them. It was times like this that made Shepard glad he brought the turian along.

Until he had to explain carnivals to him. Then he had to explain clowns. Then that went into how evil clowns were. Because, seriously, fuck clowns. Now however, Garrus wouldn't shut up about it. He kept making analogies from the horrors around them and trying to get John to explain how it would fit into an evil carnival. Childhood joy number two, dead at scene.

"Seriously Garrus," he grunted. "If you keep this up, I swear I am feeding you to the next batch of husks we come across…"

"Ha ha!" Tali laughed behind him. She had been his biggest worry. She had been so terrified she had been shaking. And so afraid of him, that she was hiding behind Garrus. It was something he was having a hard time not beating himself up over. At least right now. Later, when they get back to the Normandy, then he would take the time to properly beat himself up.

Now, at least, they seemed to have stepped past the mental danger zone. Or at least jumped straight into the hole of insanity that was this mission, deep enough that the things weren't getting to them anymore. And he wasn't sure if that was good or not.

"Alright guys," he said dryly. "This whole trip it's just been these husks. From the scans, this should be the final room. If I remember my vids properly, we should be finding the mad scientist or evil overlord here."

"Oh, no," Tali muttered. "Not the evil overlord bit again…."

Shaking his head, John gestured to the door. "Come on, let's get this over with so we can find out what has been going on here and get home."

"Sounds great, Boss," Garrus chuckled as he stepped up beside the door.

John waited for Tali to take the other side before he keyed the door. The moment it opened, he stormed in, his rifle up and searching. He brought it to bare on a man in tan armor, standing over a bald man, wearing a classic white lab coat and glasses.

"Drop the gun," John yelled.

"And step away from the nerd!" Garrus yelled from behind him, almost making John drop his head.

The man, however ignored the turian and quarian and stared straight at John. His eyes...burned into him. He knew those eyes….

"Toombs?" John stared at the man as he lowered his rifle. "How..what? What happened?"

"Sh-Shepard?" the man looked back. John could see the desperation, the panic, in the man's eyes. "How are you here? Why….No! It..it doesn't matter!" Toombs was wildly swinging his pistol between the scientist and John's team.

"How are you here, Toombs? Please? I need to know what happened," John's voice was quiet, and held it's own desperation. How had one of the men _he_ commanded survived? How had he not found the man?

"He has to die!" Toombs all but screamed as he grabbed the scientist by the front of his white lab coat, and dragging him between himself and John. "You don't know what they did to me!"

"Toombs, please. I _have_ to know what happened," holding up a hand John motioned for his team to lower their weapons.

Pressing his gun into the other man's temple, Toombs had tears in his eyes. "I..I don't know! The thresher maws attacked...everybody scattered. I saw you grab Pina as the ground opened under her." As he spoke, Toombs's head jerked back and forth, as he remembered. "The Mako. I was standing in the turret when it came up underneath...It's mandibles crushed into it as it threw me up. I remember falling. There were rocks. And screams...then...black…"

"Commander...please!" the scientist begged, sweat pouring down the man's face. "Take care of this lunatic!"

"YOU SHUT UP!" Toombs screamed, twisting the pistol painfully into the bald man's head. "You just shut the fuck up! You were there!"

"Toombs! Stay with me!" John called out. "I need to know what is going on."

"It's them!" he cried. "They found me! I woke up in a cell! THEY lured the thresher maws! THEY set the whole thing up! They were _so_ excited to have a survivor to play with!" Spittle flew from Toombs's mouth as he raved.

"They did...things...terrible things! Do you know what it feels like to have thresher acid injected into your veins? I do!" He was crying now, as he shook the man he held. "He is one of them! I escaped! I spent _years_ tracking them down. I have killed them! One! By! One!" He pushed the scientist to his knees. "This son-of-a-bitch is the last one!"

"Commander! Please! I don't know what he is talking about!" the scientist begged. "He's clearly insane! Just shoot him!"

"Shut up Cerberus!" Toombs yelled, striking the man with the barrel of his gun. Blood poured down the scientist's face from a cut on his forehead, where the barrel hit.

"Cerberus?" John frowned. He had been encountering a lot of Cerberus operations. "Toombs, I know you want revenge. I do, too. They killed them all, but this isn't the way. Let me take him in. He will get a public trial. We'll air every secret we can squeeze out of him. Find more Cerberus agents."

'N-no!" Toombs exclaimed, the gun wavering in his hand. "I _have_ to kill him...I _have..._ to…"

John stood, putting his weapon away and took a single step forward. "Please, Toombs. Let me get you help. Let me fix _something_ that these bastards took from us." Slowly, John held out his hand. "Please."

He stared at John's hand, then darted to his face, then back down. "I...They…" After a single agonizing moment, Toombs slowly placed the pistol into John's hand. "Help me…."

* * *

John, SSV Normandy

As he stepped onto the command deck, John keyed up his comm. "Joker, I want us on route to Earth. And I want us there yesterday, got me?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Joker came back, seemingly unsure. "Interesting timing though. We just got a message that there is something happening on the moon and they wanted us back there ASAP. The message should be in your box."

Rubbing a hand over his eyes, tiredly, John nodded. "Lovely. Let's just go."

"Yes, sir," Joker closed off.

"Shepard?" John heard Tali's worried voice behind him. "Are you alright?"

Turning, he gave her a tired smile. "No, not really. I didn't think Akuze could get much worse. But there was a survivor that I never knew of that had been tortured by insane scientists for years." Half sitting on the holotank, John hung his head. "I am not alright at all."

The Quarian reached out a hand and lightly touched his arm. That meant a lot. They had been talking. He had asked a lot of questions about her people, and one of the things he learned was how important physical contact was.

"If you need to talk, I'm here Shepard," she said. Stepping forward slightly.

Slowly, Shepard looked up, into her glowing eyes. He wondered what she looked like. He wondered if her eyes really glowed like that. He wondered a million things about her. Instead, he laid his own hand over hers, patting it lightly. "Thanks Tali. That...means a lot to me…."

They stood there a moment, just looking at each other. A moment that seemed to last forever. But was shattered.

"Commander!" Kaiden called out, as he stepped onto the command deck. "Tali! Let me get your armor so I can run ith through the repair cycle!"

The pair jumped apart at the sudden interruption, John actually blushing, and Tali's hands kneading in front of her.

"I..umm...Yeah..Okay…" Tali muttered and nearly sprinted to the lift door. Kaiden looked after her with confusion.

With a groan, John placed his hand over his eyes, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I'll get it to you after I call in my report." Pushing off from the holotank, Shepard went back to the war room.

"Damn it Kaiden!" Engineer Adams, who had been on deck, at a workstation when the team returned, yelled, stepping forward and striking Kaiden with his hat.

"What did I do?" the beleaguered lieutenant cried, ducking under the barrage. He looked around the room, looking for help. But those that met his gaze held only hostility. "What did I do?!"


	28. CH28 Rouge VI

Jane, SSV Perugia, Captain's Quarters

Leaning back in her chair, Jane sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. Her left hand held a deck of playing cards that with a quick gesture, she split, and rolled the bottom half over, onto the top. She did it over and over with a practiced and casual ease.

Sighing again, she reached over and hit a button on her desk terminal. An image of a woman made of lines of code appeared on the screen. "How can I help you mistress?" the VI said. It's voice was cheerful and overly chipper. For some reason Jane loved it. It made her feel warm inside.

"Denise, what is the estimated time for our refueling and reprovisioning?" she asked, still not taking her eyes off the ceiling.

"Estimates are showing nineteen hours and thirty seven minutes," came back the cheerful reply.

"Uhhh," Jane groaned. With a flick of her finger, a card left the deck, spinning to be caught in her right hand. One by one she flicked cards. "I am super bored, Denise."

"I am sorry to hear that mistress, do you have any search parameters you would like me to use to find you a form of entertainment?"

* _flick_ * "Know any good places to get laid?" * _flick*_

"I am afraid that is beyond my programming."

* _flick_ * "Figures." * _flick*_ "Don't suppose you have a vibrate function?" * _flick_ *

"Mistress, I do not understand your query."

With a grunt, Jane tossed the cards onto her desk and sat upright. "Nevermind, Denise. I was making a joke anyway." Standing, she began to pace the length of her room. "Say...has there been any word on how long the Luna training ground will be closed?"

"There has not been any information released, would you like me to send an information request?"

Pausing long enough to scoop up her cards, Jane shook her head. "No, don't bother. Log out."

"Logging you out mistress," Denise said, as her image disappeared.

Sitting on the edge of her desk, Jane tapped the deck of cards on her pant leg, her mind wandering. _How long has it been since I saw Kelly?_ She wondered. _I missed her, Hestalia and mom at the Citadel a few weeks ago. She sent John that letter that he bragged to me about…_ Jane grimaced. If there was one thing that the Shepard twins competed on, it was over their little sister's affection. A trait that the girl used to her advantage more than once.

The chime on her door beeped, bringing Jane out of her reverie. "Come," she called, beginning to fan her cards from one hand to the other. She didn't know who would be coming by her cabin, but whoever it was, it had to be less boring than it was at the moment.

Her door opened, allowing a mountain of a man to enter. He was probably six inches taller than her six foot, and three above John. Her brother was a decent sized man, she did admit that. He was in good shape, strong, but this man, he was bulky in the way of a man lifting weights to build strength and mass, not John's, or her own, really, more balanced build.

"Lieutenant James Vega, Ma'am. I am to escort you to - _Madre!"_ the man, Vega, apparently, turned his head to the side quickly, not looking at her.

"Report Lieutenant. What brings you aboard my ship?" Jane demanded, scowling. She hated it when people spoke without at least looking in her direction.

"Uh...Ma'am…" Vega began, apparently finding something extremely interesting on his boot. "I, uh, I'm part of a special forces group. I have been asked to escort you to Admiral Hackett…."

Her scowl deepening, Jane rolled a card into her right hand, and threw it. It cut through the air like a knife, impacting Vega square in the chest.

"Aya!" the man exclaimed his hand going to rub his chest. He only glanced up at Jane before looking away, his face going red.

"Is there something wrong with my face lieutenant?" she demanded, dropping the rest of her cards onto her desk. "Does there happen to be some reason you aren't able to look at me?"

"Um..Yes, Ma'am…" Vega stammered. "You..um..you aren't wearing a shirt…."

Her eyes widening, Jane looked down at her bare chest. "Huh, how about that…." she muttered to herself before turning back to the lieutenant. "Alright Mister Vega, toss me my shirt from the couch by you and I'll cover my tits, since they seem to bother you, then we can be on our way."

"Um...Yes Ma'am."

* * *

John, SSV Everest, War Room

Sitting back in his seat, John's head sagged as he rested a bit. It had been such a constant go, he really hadn't had the time to relax. Being on a dreadnought, however, in his home system, did wonders for his ability to let go of some of the built up stress. Even if the message telling him to come here was marked as urgent.

The door opened, suddenly, causing him to jump slightly. _Not the best time to doze off, genius,_ he admonished himself. _Going to send a great message._ Glancing up, he attempted to play it off. At least until he saw who was entering.

First was Admiral Hackett. His steel grey hair and facial scar, starting from just over the right side of his lip and continuing to just under the corner of his right eye. It was hard to mistake him for anybody else.

It was the second person to enter that made him groan. Jane walked with purpose, a frown creased her brow, at least until she noticed John. Stopping and staring at him, a slow smile creeped up her lips. "Mmm, napping, John? At a time like this? Shame!"

"Ah, little sister, dearest. How I have not missed you. Still single?" John tilted his head, looking at her with an innocent face.

Jane's smile dropped away as she narrowed her eyes as she sat across the table from him.. "You are older by ten minutes. And I don't have time to date. I am busy doing real work, not galavanting around in an overpriced jalopy."

Placing his hand on his chest, John widened his eyes in mock pain. "You wound me sister. I am simply trying to scour the galaxy for a being willing to accept somebody with your…" He slowly looked her up and down. "Features… So far I have found a varren?"

"Oh...I'm going to wound you alright…." Jane made to get out of her chair when Hackett waved a hand at the pair.

"Enough. Your banter is certainly amusing, but we are having an issue that I need you two, to deal with," Hackett's tone of voice made the twins turn to him, full business. As of 0400 four days ago, the VI that controlled training area alpha-one-nine, has gone rouge."

John frowned. _That's for special forces,_ John thought, his fingers tapping on the table in front of him. _Rogue VI sounds...bad…_

"Admiral," Jane spoke up. "Is there any idea how the VI went rouge? I was under the impression they had safeguards for this situation."

Hackett noded. "Normally, you would be correct, Captain. However, this particular VI was incredibly advanced and was programmed to have an adaptive matrix. Because of the sensitive nature of it's design, it did not have a landline kill switch."

After a moment of contemplation, John spoke up. "Admiral...That sounds almost like an AI…."

"I know," the Admiral sighed. "It is not, however. We followed Council protocols in designing the VI. The adaptive matrix records information, then wipes itself every three days. The boys in cyber warfare believe that the VI has lost it's friend/foe indicators, so it is running, what it thinks, is a training wargame." Hackett turned to the screen behind him as it came to life. "Somehow, the safeties on it's weapon systems have likewise been disabled." Gesturing, the screen rotated a diagram of the training center. "We have sent three other special forces teams in to disable the VI, but each one has been killed. Each time, the VI became more efficient."

"So…" Jane nodded. "It's learning our standard tactics."

Hackett nodded. "That is correct. Which is why we brought in the two of you."

John nodded. "My team in unconventional, and Jane has the tactical intelligence to come up with paths of attacks."

"That is also correct," Hackett confirmed. "However, this is an incredibly sensitive situation, Commander. Your team has to be small, and extremely trustworthy. Alliance Command will be going over this operation with a fine toothed comb."

"I understand Admiral," John confirmed. "I know just the people."

Across from him, Jane chuckled quietly. "I am pretty sure I know whom you intend to take with you. I will go over the plans accordingly. And," she looked up to the Admiral. "I'll vouch for his team as well."

"Very good," Hackett turned back to the screen. "This is the current set up. As you can see…."

* * *

Tali, Luna

"As you can see," Shepard was telling her. "Earth looks pretty good from up here." And it was true. Tali had seen few planets that matched it. The blues and greens, cut across by the swirls of white clouds… It was more than pretty. It was beautiful…

"It isn't bad," Garrus nodded from where he sat, in his usual place, the turret. "Lot of water though."

Shepard chuckled. "It does have a lot of ocean. Palavan doesn't have so much?"

"Not is such standing pools. Most of Palavan's water is underground," Garrus explained. "Weaker magnetic field means stronger solar radiation. Hotter, with more moisture in the air."

"Say, Tali," Shepard called back. "You know what your world looks like?"

Tearing her eyes away from the blue-green marble above them, Tali turned to regard Shepard for a moment considering. "Well…" she started. "I have seen the pictures."

Shepard's face blanched for a moment. "Ah, sorry, that was thoughtless of me. Sorry for bringing that up."

Blinking a couple of times, it took Tali a moment to understand what he was meaning. "Oh!" she shook her hands franticly. "No, no! It's not like that. I...I don't mind telling you… I mean...if you are really..you know.. Interested?"

"Sure," Shepard turned slightly to look at her, his eyes meeting hers. "I would love to hear about it. I mean, if you want to tell me."

Grinning slightly, even if Shepard couldn't see it, Tali nodded. "Well, Rannoch is a dry world. A lot of arid savannahs, where the quarians evolved."

"Really?" Shepard looked at her, a little surprised. "Humans originally evolved from a primate species that migrated to savannahs."

For some reason, the common evolution path made her feel a little closer to Shepard. _That's stupid, little girl,_ she told herself, clamping down on the feeling. _Those things have nothing to do with each other!_

"Quarians evolved from a group hunting predator species. More feline? I think that is what the term would be for your people? Sorta like how turians are from an avian?"

Shepard nodded. "That's interesting. Did your people stay on the savannahs?"

Tali shook her head. "No, like how Garrus said Palavan doesn't have a lot of ocean, neither does Rannoch. At least not compared to Earth. The continents are crossed by large rivers and lakes. It is green and lush along and around them. That is why Rannoch means 'Walled Garden'."

"Shepard," Garrus said.

 _He keeps looking at me,_ Tali noted, in her head. _He always seems so interested in my people…_

"Shepard."

"Is that where your people moved then?" Shepard tilted his head curiously.

"Oh, yes," Tali answered with a nod.

"Shepard!"

"Our biggest cities sat at the mouths of the great rivers, where they emptied into the ocean."

"Shepard!"

"That sounds very beautiful," Shepard nodded again. "Say, you mentioned quarians were group hunters?"

"Shepard!"

"Oh!" Tali answered. For some reason, she was pleased to tell him about her people. "You see we bonded-"

"SHEPARD!" Garrus yelled.

"WHAT!?" Shepard yelled up to the turian, scowling.

"Crater!" Garrus yelled franticly, waving a finger.

"Oh!" John turned back to face forward. Tali had forgotten that he hadn't been watching the direction as they talked.

Turning, herself, she saw the crater edge Garrus was talking about. Just in time to scream as they went flying off it.

* * *

Jane, Luna Base

"Seriously, John?" Jane muttered to herself. "Are you ever going to learn how to drive?" She had pulled her headset off as she sipped her coffee. The earsplitting screams of John's team was a bit much.

"Ma'am," one of the techs said, glancing back to her. "We have the Commander off course by twenty degrees."

With a snort, Jane turned in her chair, so her legs hung over the arm. "Yeah, he does that. I had that pretty much taken that into account. He'll probably breach the arena's barrier wall about….there." She pointed out a spot of wall that was near the crater edge.

"But…" the tech looked confused. "How will they get past the wall there? The Mako's main gun isn't strong enough to take down the outer wall."

Dangling her head back over the other arm of the chair, Jane shrugged. "Just watch." Switching the main screen to the camera mounted on the outside of the Mako, the entire command room went quiet as they watch John's 'driving'.

Just as Jane predicted, the Mako picked up speed as it climbed the edge of the crater. The moment before they crested the crater wall, John hit the tank's boosters, giving it just the boost needed to clear the wall. It was a maneuver only made possible by the moon's reduced gravity. Though Jane was relatively sure that John didn't really plan that. The plans he pulled out his ass had an annoying success rate. As it was, the Mako's wheels skimmed the top of the wall, the bounce sending them flying slowly end over end and it fell back to the ground.

The retro rockets fired in time to reduce the Mako's rotation in time for the nose to dig into the lunar surface. It stood there for a beat, standing straight up, before tipping back to land on it's wheels.

Keying her comm, Jane shook her head. "If you are done trying to give your people a heart attack, could you kindly go back to your actual mission?"

* * *

John, Advanced Alliance Training Ground

"Target down!" John called, ducking back behind the crate he was using for cover. Looking across the hallway, he saw Tali duck back behind her own crate. She held her shotgun out from her body as it vented its heat. "Tali! You pop the drone on your side, I'll drop the one on mine!"

"Got it!" she called back, bringing up her omnitool.

"Garrus!" he yelled back to the turian behind them. "When Tali and I bring down the drones, you hit 'em!"

"Sure thing, boss!" Garrus confirmed, switching to his sniper rifle.

"Alright, one, two...go!" John popped up, thrusting his left arm forward, his omnitool flaring as a burst of electricity surge out of it, striking the drone in front of him. It sparked in the air for a moment, before dropping.

As it fell a shot rang out, striking the drone in the center mass, breaking it apart. From the corner of his eye he saw Tali doing the same as he, her own drone blowing apart before it hit the deck. "Scoped, and dropped!" Garrus called out cheerfully.

"Good work people," John nodded standing. His scanner showed no more hostiles in the area. There had been far more resistance than he had expected. _How many drones did they stock out here anyway?_ He wondered. _They could have made a small army of the damn things, not even taking into account the turrets._

" _Good work guys,"_ Jane came over the comms. " _If you keep moving down that hall you'll come to main computer chamber. Inside should be two turrets. One on either side of the main bank. You don't have to worry about it, directly. It's well armored."_

"Why are we worried about damaging the crazy killer VI, exactly?" Garrus asked as he gripped his sniper rifle. "Aren't we hear to take it out?"

" _Yes, and no,"_ Jane came back. " _Once you take out the last of it's defenses, you can get in and shut it down manually. Then we can go over the thing, and try to figure out what went wrong."_

There was a click as Jane shifted to a private comm that only John, his team and Jane shared. " _Between us, I am pretty sure this was a result of sabotage. I think somebody deliberately set it so that it would become rouge. Probably trying to get it to become an AI."_

Tali gasped, looking to John. "Why would anybody do that? Don't they know what could happen?"

With a grim expression, John nodded. "Yeah, they probably did. They just didn't care."

There was the click again as Jane moved the comm back to the command channel. " _Speculation aside, get in there and shut the damn thing down, if you would."_

Stepping up the final door, John paused to look at his team. "Alright, I have a new system protocol issued from the Alliance R&D. We hit the door, and I will activate active Tech Armor, while drawing their fire."

"Tali, I want you to overload the turret on the left, while I pop the one on the right, same as we did with these last pair of drones."

"Garrus. Just like last time, hit the left one, then right. Tali and I will then unload into them, making sure they go down."

Tali nodded, hefting her shotgun. "Yes, Shepard."

Running his thumb over his rifle's scope, Garrud nodded as well. "Let's get 'em."

Turning back to the door, John brought up his omnitool. Activating a newly added program, it brought up an energy fabricated armor that floated a few centimeters off his body armor. The virtual plates glowed orange with contained plasma energy.

Glancing at Tali and Garrus, John took a deep breath. "Let's get 'em"

Hitting the control, the last door opened, revealing the large central computer. As Jane had said, it was in an armored installation on the far wall. Flanking it, a turret stood, deployed out of the floor, each turrets twin barrels trained on the door.

Charging into the room, John felt the turrets open up on him. The rounds from the large guns vaporizing as the they struck the tech armor. He was pleasantly surprised at how effective the armor worked, even if he was able to watch the power indicator on his HUD, slowly falling under the barrage.

As he moved forward, Tali let loose a burst of energy, overloading her targeted turret. It's center chassis smoked as the barrels drooped toward the floor, twitching as electricity sparked here and there.

Garrus fired his sniper rifle, ripping a chunk of the housing away, even as Tali brought her shotgun up, her weapon ripping into the turret, reducing it to so much scrap.

John's own overload impacted into the second turret, but to his unpleasant surprise, the turret didn't shut down. The machine twitched slightly as it's firing was disrupted for a split second, but it quickly readjusted, pouring fire into him again.

Cursing, John brought his rifle to bare, holding down the trigger and hosing the turret, hoping to bring it's shield down the old fashioned way. From inside his helmet he watched his shield reach its limit, and collapsed, his armor soaking several rounds as he was staggered back before being knocked off his feet by the impacts.

"Shepard!" Tali and Garrus cried in unison as they unleashed their own fire into the turret, exploding it into a shower of sparks.

"Shepard! Are you alright?" John saw Tali's helmet appear in front of him as he groaned.

Waving his hand, he grunted. "Fine." His voice was quiet as he worked at catching his breath. "Go shut down the VI."

Hesitating a moment, Tali nodded and moved away from his fallen form, only to be replaced by Garrus, standing over him. "A bit melodramatic, don'tcha think there, boss?"

"Oh, shut up," John muttered as he sat up painfully. "That was an awesome show of bravery and skill, and you know it."

"If you mean suicidal urges, then yes, it was amazing. I am sure the VI is swooning over you, even as we speak. Tali may not even need to shut it down, it's so excited by you." Garrus shook his head, helping John up. "Hmm, you're bleeding a bit there."

Shifting uncomfortably, John assessed the damage. "Nothing major. Flesh wound. Armor's medi-gel closed it already."

"Shepard! You had better go straight to Dr. Chakwas when we get back," Tali admonished from where she worked on the VI.

John sighed, shaking his head. "Yes, dear," he muttered. He had said it quietly, but noticed a slight hesitation in Tali's work. _Good one, Shepard,_ he inwardly groaned. _Harass the girl…_

"Aaaand...I'm in," the quarian said nodding. "Shutting it down...now!" As she hit the last key, the lights in the base flickered a moment as the screens came up with a binary code, repeating itself over and over.

01001000

01000101

01001100

01010000

Frowning unpleasantly, John watched the screens even as they slowly went blank. Looking over at Tali, he found her looking back at him. She knew what it meant, same as he did. It was asking for 'HELP'.


	29. CH29 After Luna

Author Note: Short, fun interlude bit. Coming up on the home stretch!

* * *

Jane, SSV Normandy, Cargo Bay

Rolling her shoulders, Jane began to bounce back and forth on the balls of her feet. As she shook herself out, and warmed up her muscles, she frowned at her opponent. He stood stoically, watching her. He didn't move to prepare or warm up, and he did not move to take any stance. _Well, feel free to underestimate me,_ she thought to herself. _I'll make sure you regret it!_

"Sure you don't want to pad your hands?" Wrex rumbled, moving for the first time since he stepped into the area they had cordoned off. "Or maybe the floor?"

Snorting, Jane grinned condescendingly. "Well, if you think you need it, old man…"

"Ha!" Wrex barked, with a nod, smiling for the first time since Jane had challenged him. "You got a quad, I'll give you that. They certainly seem to make you Shepards mouthy."

"Not arrogance if it's true," Jane mocked moving forward to the center of their 'ring'.

Stepping forward as well, Wrex shook his head slightly. "You haven't fought a krogan before, have you?"

Jane's frown returned as she brought her hands up in a guard position. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Wrex still didn't seem to put up a guard, but his eyes tracked her movements as she tried to sidestep. His wider set eyes gave him a much wider field of view, in comparison to the human. "You are used to fighting humans, who are squishy. You've fought asari, one clearly trained you. They aren't as soft as humans, but nothing like trying to hit a turian, let alone a krogan."

Eyeing Wrex, Jane rotated to the right, getting almost to a right angle from his side before darting forward. Her left hand jabbed out, aiming for the large red eye, even as she saw the slit pupil narrow.

He barely moved. Just a slight tip of the head, and her fist * _cracked_ * against his brow plate. Pain shot through her hand as Jane danced back.

Shaking her hand, she glanced at her knuckles, clicking her tongue when she noted she had already split one, blood slowly leaking.

"See," Wrex turned to face her fully. "This is going to hurt."

With a wild grin, Jane dashed forward again. "More you than me!" she yelled as she brought her right hand up in an uppercut straight for the krogans chin. She was rewarded with a solid hit, but her eye widened as his head barely seemed to register the impact.

"Not bad," Wrex nodded, as he rubbed his chin with one hand. "I felt that."

Jane scrambled back, putting distance between them, but noticed Wrex made no move to follow her. "Look, are you just fucking with me or what?"

With a shrug, Wrex eyed her with a slight smile. "I just want you to think you're doing well."

Seeing her opening, Jane stepped in again, this time her hand was held in a blade from, her fingers out and stiff, as she drove them into the inside joint of his armpit that he was holding up to his jaw.

She hit straight at true. It hurt like hell as she hit his thick hide, but she grinned as he grunted a little.

Her joy was short lived, however. Faster than she expected, Wrex simply dropped his arm, catching her hand. _Ah, fuck…._ Was all she had time to think before his hand dropped down onto her shoulder in an iron like grip. With a short twist, Wrex heaved Jane clear off her feet and threw her halfway across the cargo bay, nearly hitting some of the spectators.

"Hey!" Garrus cried. "Watch where you're throwing humans!"

On her back, Jane stared up at the turian. "Seriously? You're the one who came down here to gawk!"

Offering a hand Garrus chuckled. "Of course I did. The entire crew did. Pretty sure some of these people are supposed to on duty. So if we crash into a star, I'm blaming you."

Rolling her eyes, Jane took the proffered hand and standing. "Garrus," she said acidly. "We are still in station. The Normandy is docked. And if it _was_ underway, I wouldn't be _on_ this rust bucket."

"Hey!" Tali called over from her seat atop a cargo crate. "We take good care of the Normandy!"

Laughing, Jane bowed slightly to the Quarian. "My mistake Tali," she grinned. "I would never defame a ship under your care. You _are_ my favorite, after all."

"Aww," Garrus's mandibles sagged as he put of his best 'sad' expression. "You don't love _me_ anymore?"

"Garrus, I wouldn't-" she started, before Wrex cut her off.

"Are we done, princess?" the Krogan called, his arms crossed.

Shooting him a glare, Jane slammed her fist into her hand. "Not on your life. _Princess_." She punctuated the last by grabbing the front of Garrus's chest plate and spinning on her heel.

Jane was a tall woman. And she was broad and well muscled. So when she rotated and heaved, she was able to launch a full grown turian male a fairly good distance. Even as said turian screamed in surprise.

As Garrus flew toward him, Wrex reached out a hand, slapping him to the ground. But that was what Jane was planning on. She had followed the flying turian, close behind and was leaping up, over his body, even as Wrex was slapping him down.

Grabbing ahold of his head plate, Jane swung her lower body as hard as she could down, her knees out, and impacted square in the krogan's solar plexus. Or, she would have. If krogan had a solar plexus.

As it was, the impact was still enough to force Wrex back a couple of steps with a grunt of surprise. But a couple steps was all he moved.

Everything froze. The entire crowd went silent. Except for Garrus. He groaned quietly. Wrex stood still, his eyes locked on Jane.

Jane, whom hung on his head, clutching the edge of his headplate, her feet a good two feet off the floor. "Oh…" she began.

With a snarl, Wrex grabbed both the woman's legs and jerked down. "..SHIIIT!"

She hit the metal deck, hard. In fact, she was fairly sure she felt her ribs creak under the blow, as the air was knocked out of her. Through the pain haze she looked up just in time to see the krogan's enormous foot coming down fast toward her head.

Desperately, Jane threw herself to one side, rolling twice before leaping to her feet. Just in time for Wrex's hand to wrap itself completely around her head and lift her off the ground.

"Mphher glrlr ferm…" she said, her voice muffled by the thick hand, as her arms sagged down to her sides, defeated.

Gently setting the woman down Wrex released her while tilting his head. "What was that?"

With a deep sigh, Jane crossed her arms, pouting. "I said you win, you lizard son of a bitch."

"Heh," Wrex chuckled, slapping Jane on the shoulder, staggering her. "Put up a good fight. Have to say I was surprised you used a turian as a weapon."

"Well," Jane shrugged as they crowd begon to file out of the room. "This one time, on Korask, I got into this bar fight…." she began as the pair followed the others out.

* * *

Tali, SSV Normandy, Cargo Deck

Perched atop her cargo crate, the quarian watched the crowds thin and leave. Jane and Wrex seemed to be pretty good friends now, even though they fought. She had heard about the phenomenon. Something about only being able truly understand somebody without talking with one's fists or something. She wasn't really sure. When quarians fight with each other, it almost never sinks to physical confrontation. They were too much of a social people.

Shaking her head at the matter, she slid off the crate onto the floor. One thing she had noted, was that Shepard didn't come down. Well, the other Shepard. John.

 _John…_ Just thinking his first name brought a heat to her cheeks. _Calm yourself._ She shook herself. _It's just his name…._

Sighing now, Tali walked to the center of the room and looked down. "Garrus?" she asked. "You alive?"

* * *

John, SSV Normandy, Captain's Quarters

Sighing now, John leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "John," he asked himself, aloud. "Why are you alive?"

He turned back to his desk and frowned. _Shepard,_ Tali had said. _I went over the data from the VI. Somebody deliberately set it to evolve toward a true AI. And they almost did it._ The disgust had been clear in her voice. _But the coding is far too similar to the data we had pulled from the Cerberus sites we had cleared. It's no coincidence._

John rubbed his eyes as he leaned on his elbows. No coincidence. They hadn't even been able to track the last data burst that the rogue VI had sent. _I don't need this crap,_ he thought angrily. _I have enough on my plate with this Saren shit._

But. He was going to go anyway. He knew it. He wouldn't be able to _not_ go. He needed to end this. He had been following the trail of dead scientists, which lead to a dead admiral. And then it led to Toombs….

 _Right after my sister finishes getting the shit kicked out of her_ , he thought happily to himself. _If I had the time, I would go watch. I could use the cheering up._

As he moved to get back to his paperwork, his omnitool chimed. Glancing at the message, he saw that it was from Jane. "Seriously?" he muttered to himself.

Opening the message he frowned. _Dear shitty brother. I had the living crap kicked out of me by your krogan. We are good friends now. I am getting piss drunk and will be heading off your ship, right after I vomit in your chair in your war room. Toodles. Signed, the best Shepard twin. PS, Seriously, I just threw up on your chair. I hate you._

Running a hand over his eyes, John sat for a moment and stared at the wall, before bringing up his comm. "Pressley," he said, wearily. "Can you make sure Captain Shepard makes it off the ship. Then send somebody with a mop and strong stomach to clean up the war room?"


	30. CH30 Preperations

John, Citadel, Presidium Commons

"Explain to me why we had to come back here?" Ashley asked. She was scowling. She did that a lot recently. Normally directed at Liara, John noted. She had demanded he tell her who he loved. She practically demanded he stop sleeping with Liara. Which confused him. Mostly because he _wasn't_ sleeping with her. He didn't even get how she could think that he was.

 _I'm not interested in a relationship at all, right now,_ he had said. _I have a lot to deal with right now. Between Cerberus and the hunt for Saren, I don't have time for love. Besides, something like that isn't really in the cards for somebody like me._

Shaking the thoughts from his mind, John glanced at Ashley. "The Council has some information on Saren they are passing on, they just don't trust sending it through the extranet. And they want reports on our recent activity."

After waiting for a moment, it seemed Ashley had no more to say. Letting out a small sigh he turned to the team as a whole. "Alright guys. I am going to see the Council. Spectre stuff, so you guys are on your own. Two days shore leave. I also want you to prowl the markets. Find weapon or armor upgrades. You have my Spectre authority to pick up the good stuff. We have been gathering a pretty good sized budget, so don't worry about being limited by funds."

The group let out a small cheer and began to break up into clumps. Ashley grabbed Kaiden's arm, nearly dragging the startled human away. While Garrus and Tali headed towards the elevator to the Wards. Liara seemed to fidget for a moment before Wrex said something to her and they turned away to do their own thing. Leaving John alone.

It was the first time he had been truly alone in quite awhile. Though, when he stopped to think about it, it wasn't really all that long. Only around six months had actually passed. It was staggering the things his group had accomplished in that amount time. They had exposed Saren for the traitor he was, they had fought Geth and Krogan, and those husk creatures. They'd had to kill Liara's mother, released the last Rachni Queen. They had dealt with a mind controlling plant. And it all started with a Prothean Beacon that forced information into his brain. _All in all,_ he thought to himself, as he looked over the fountains in the Presidium waterway. _All in all...it's been a hell of a wild ride…_

With a nod, John pushed away from the rail and turned, heading to the Council Tower.

* * *

Ashley, Citadel

She wasn't really sure what she was doing. Or why she was doing it. But she was. And she was _so_ very angry. Shepard had turned her away. He chose to be with the alien. With _Liara_. And he didn't even have the decency to admit it.

Grabbing Kaiden by the lapels of his shirt, Ashley slammed him against the wall of the room she had rented. Her mouth found his hungrily, as she poured her anger and pent up lust into it. He returned the kiss, not as desperate, but accepting. She didn't deserve the kindness.

Her hands slid down his torso, pulling his shirt out of his pants and sliding them up along his skin. _Wow...he is in amazing shape..._ she thought, as she let her hands roam.

For his part, Kaiden began to unbutton the front of Ashley's shirt, pulling it open to get at the woman underneath. His hands were hesitant at first, but his own lust quickly overrode any doubts he may have had as he grabbed her, pulling her close.

Groaning to herself, Ash grabbed his belt, almost violently, unbuckling it, even as she caught his lower lip in between her teeth. Locking her eyes on his, Ashley slowly pulled back, and slid down his body…..

* * *

Garrus, Citadel, Lower Wards

"Do you think Shepard would like this?" Tali asked, for probably the thousandth time since they had come down here. This time she held up what looked to be a massively oversized pistol. The body was a dark red color.

"That," Garrus said, surprised. "Would probably thrill him." Glancing at the display, he saw that the gun was called a 'Carnifex Hand Cannon'. And hand cannon was _exactly_ what it was. Only six shots, but a hell of a lot of stopping power. Anything that survived six rounds from that monster deserved to eat you.

"Yay!" Tali exclaimed bobbing from foot to foot in her excitement before pressing the gun into Garrus's hands.

"What?" he asked, looking from the gun and back to Tali. "I thought you wanted to give it to Shepard?"

The quarian looked down at her feet, all traces of her exuberance for a moment ago gone as her hands began to twine together in front of her. "I...I do...but, the store probably won't...sell it to a quarian," Tali said quietly. "The last time we were here I tried to buy something for Shepard, but nobody would sell to me. Mostly they just said that the credits were probably stolen and that was the only way a quarian could have the kind of money I had."

Garrus looked at the girl for a moment and sighed. One of his hands went to the back of his head, rubbing absently. It wasn't so long ago that he had thought similarly.

"You look like Shepard," Tali said, amusement in her voice.

"What?" Garrus looked up, his mandibles closed in on his face as he raised a brow plate. "Are you saying I'm turning that weird pinkish color?"

"Ha ha!" Tali laughed, he hand going over her voice indicator light. "No, _Keelah_ , can you imagine? Humans come in such a strange variation. Anyway," she shook her head. "I meant what you are doing with your hand."

Garrus blinked before realizing what she was talking about. Slowly, he brought his arm down with a sigh. "The human is a terrible influence. I was already a bad turian, but after this mess is all over, I am going to be a _terrible_ turian."

Tali went still again, as her helmet pointed slightly down again. Not to her feet this time, at least, just to the weapon Garrus was holding. "Say...Garrus...What do you think you are going to do once we stop Saren?"

The question made him pause as he too, looked down at the pistol in his hand. What _was_ he going to do? "I...don't know. Probably not go back to C-Sec. Shepard was trying to talk me into going back to Spectre training."

"You would be good at that," Tali looked up, reassuring him. "You've been able to learn from the best, these last few months, after all."

Nodding Garrus chuckled. "That is certainly true…" He was quiet for a moment before tilting his head. "Are you going to go finish your pilgrimage? Look for a proper gift?"

Tali paused and slowly looked away. "I...I have a gift already. Shepard, he...he game me classified Alliance data. It was everything the Alliance knew about Geth evolution after the war…."

Garrus stood, his mandibles flexed open and closed a couple times, his eyes wide. "That...that is certainly a hell of a gift…"

"Heh, yeah…" Tali tilted her head, bobbing on her toes again. Garrus recognized the movement as when she was happy about something. "It was at the Luna base thing. With that VI. We found the data in the storage there. He decrypted it and gave me a copy. It's a secret though!" Tali's helmet shot up to look at him, and Garrus could see her glowing eyes, wide beneath the visor.

"I know, I know," Garrus laughed at the quarian's reaction, holding up a hand. "I won't tell anybody, I promise!"

Looking at her for a moment Garrus looked down at the gun then back to Tali. "Does that mean when we are done, you'll be heading back to the fleet?"

The girl froze, slowly seeming to fold in on herself. "I...I don't…" Tali's eyes closed as she took a deep breath. "I don't want to go back to the Flotilla…."

Garrus's eye widened again in surprise. "What?" he was shocked and confused. "Isn't that the whole purpose for your Pilgrimage? You go out, find something and go back, wasn't it?"

Tali's head hung down again, and he could swear he heard a quiet sniffle. "Y-yes, but...but I want…" she was definitely crying now. _Good work Garrus,_ his mind yelled at him. _You made the girl cry._

Pausing for a moment, Tali took another deep breath, raising her head and staring Garrus in the face. "I'm going to go back and deliver the data. It's too important to my people. But then…" Tali's eyes closed for a moment before nodding to herself, slightly. "Then I will come back to the Normandy, if Shepard let's me. His work is too important to just leave."

"Shepard is lucky to have-" Garrus started.

"Hey, get lost suit rat!" the salarian store keeper barged in between Garrus and Tali, giving the quarian a hard shove to her shoulder, before turning to Garrus, his expression both greedy and apologetic.

Garrus could feel himself getting angry at the interruption, but more so when the man shoved Tali away.

"I'm so sorry that beggar was bothering you!" The slimy merchant said, digging himself in deeper.

"You might want to make sure you still have your credit chit, you know how thieves are!" Garrus actually couldn't speak. He was so shocked _and_ angry at the same time, that he literally didn't know how to act. _Don't shoot him, don't shoot him, don't shoot him…_

"Give me just a moment sir, I have to make sure this trash didn't take anything from my shop…" as he reached to grab Tali, Garrus's hand clamped down on the merchant's wrist, squeezing like an iron vice.

 _Fuck it. We're shooting him._

* * *

Liara, Citadel, Meconi's Sandwiches, Presidium Commons

"This place _is_ pretty good," Liara nodded, setting her food down. "I am glad Captain Shepard suggested this location."

Nodding as well, Wrex ate a whole sandwich in a single bite. "Yeah, Jane's got good taste."

Tilting her head slightly, Liara looked slightly confused. "You call her by her first name?"

"Of course," Wrex said, honestly a little surprised. "We traded blows. She is a talented warrior. Bit inexperienced though. Why wouldn't I use her name?"

"But…" Liara paused searching for the right words.

"Oh," Wrex shrugged. "You are wondering why I call our Shepard, 'Shepard', right? And not by _his_ given name?"

"Well, yes." the asari admitted.

"Simple. He is in charge. He is the Commander, not just a human I knocked around. As much as I may respect his sister for her bravery, our Shepard is the True Warrior," Wrex leaned back, his chair creaking under his weight.

"I see…" Liara took another bite of her sandwich.

"So. In love with Shepard, huh?" Wrex asked casually.

* _hrk_ * Liara gasped choking on her food, while Wrex laughed at her. He leaned over slapping her on the back as she coughed.

"Wha-What are you talking about?" Liara asked, her voice hoarse from the coughing fit. _How did he know!?_ Her mind raced. _At least he's probably the only one… I've been fairly subtle…._

"You're not exactly subtle. We can all see it. You and Ashley. I don't know much about asari or human mating rituals, but it seems like you two have some antagonism," Wrex chuckled as he ate another whole sandwich.

"Goddess…" Laia dropped her elbows on the table, one of her hands going over her eyes. "That is so humiliating…"

"Nah, it's not so bad," Wrex assured her. "Betting pool has gotten pretty big though."

"Ahhhh…." Liara's head dropped onto the table, where she rolled her forehead back and forth. "Please kill me….


	31. CH31 Virmire Drop

Author Note: In honor of N7 Day, I am going to drop the rest of this story!

* * *

John, SSV Normandy

"Commander. I'm getting a signal from the STG team," Joker glanced up at John.

"Yeah, looks like Saren's Evil Lair has some pretty good anti air defenses. The place is built like a fortress!" Kaiden added. "We are going to have to drop a ways out and go in with the Mako…." Kaiden grumbled. John wasn't sure, but he thought Kaiden sounded almost...sad?

"No worries Commander," Joker scoffed. "I'll bring you in under Saren's radar. I can drop you a few clicks from the base, you won't have to go too far in with the Mako."

Looking from Kaiden, to Joker, John nodded. "Alright, let's grab our gear and get the Mako ready for the combat drop."

"Sonofa…" Kaiden muttered, following John back toward the lift.

Later, SSV Normandy, Mako

"Do we..umm..do we _have_ to do a drop?" Tali asked quietly. "Can't Joker bring us in close, and we could, you know, just get out? Maybe go in on foot?"

"That doesn't sound like a terrible idea!" Garrus seconded. "I mean, we could all use the exercise. Gotta stay in good shape to fight Saren, after all!"

John narrowed his eyes at the two, from the driver's seat. He was turned around to look at his team. _Look at them. After all we've been through, and they are still nervous about facing Saren directly. Can't say I blame them really. There is no way the bastard will be making this easy._

"Ya know, Shepard…" Wrex began. "Maybe it's not such a bad ideAAAAAHHHH!"

The cargo bay door had been open, so that John could watch the terrain as Joker brought them in as close as he could without the AA guns targeting the Normandy. The moment he saw the ideal patch of ground, he slammed the Mako hard into reverse, shooting out of the low flying starship.

"Probably should have had Joker slow down a bit more…" John muttered under his breath. The Mako itself began to do a free tumble, spinning end over end as it plummeted toward the ground.

His team all screamed, as they clutched the belt and shock strapping. _Listen to those guys. The nervousness is all gone now. Now they have their battle cries! Eager to face their enemy, head on!_

Hitting the jump jets, the Mako pulled out of it's spin just before it's wheels slammed down on the ground, it's fuselage bouncing on its six massive shock absorbers.

For a moment, John thought her head a creaking. Maybe it was more of a crack? _Nah, I'm sure it's nothing…._

Slamming the gears, he floored the engine, the Mako spinning around, throwing up chunks of ground behind them as the tank shot forward.

"Hey, guys!" John exclaimed, looking out over the sparkling ocean. The warm sun reflecting like thousands of bright stars. "Maybe when we finish this, we can come back here. Maybe enjoy the beach some!"

He thought he heard Tali whimper… _.._

* * *

Later, Virmire, Mako

"All Right!' Garrus called out from his perch atop the Mako's turret. "That was the last one!"

"I'll shut down the AA tower!" The quarian called back, already running up the ramp to the control box. "It'll be down in two _Iet'errah_!"

Pausing, as he was rolling the body of one of the larger geth platforms, a prime, John looked up. "Two like-orral? What?"

"Really Shepard?" Wrex yelled over. "I thought you were a linguist! You just told her that her hair smelled of old cheese!"

"I...what?" Shepard blinked, looking up to where Tali was working. "Seriously?"

"No, Shepard. You didn't say anything in khelish," Tali giggled. "Wrex is just being an ass."

"Hey! It was a fair joke. You didn't have to go ruin it!" the krogan shot back.

"Anyway," John could almost hear Tali's eyes rolling. " _Iet'errah_ , it's a measure of beats in traditional quarian dance music. It's like...ummm…" Tali began to click her tongue in a quick, measured beat.

"Oh," Kaiden jumped in. "Sounds like 6/8 timing. I think."

"Kaiden? You're a musician?" Ashley sounded surprised, but pleasantly so.

"Well, I play a saxophone a bit. Wouldn't go so far as to say I'm a 'musician'. It's not even to the level of a hobby," Kaiden said, sounding embarrassed.

"Well, whatever you call it, it's over. AA gun is down," Tali reported.

"Joker, did you get that?" John sent over the comm.

"Loud and clear Commander. We'll see you at the STG camp," Joker replied as the Normandy streaked overhead. "Try not to take too long though. Maybe see if you can get some extra punch out of that Mako, huh?"

"NO!" "DON'T" "YOU MUSTN'T!", came a chorus of shocked responses.

John looked over his team, confused. "I'll see what I can do, Joker."

"Aye, aye Commander. Have fun guys!"

"I'm going to kill him," Liara muttered in the silence, causing the entire team to look over at her. With a deep scowl, she eyed the group. "What?" the asari dared them to speak. Nobody did.

* * *

John, STG Camp, Virmire

"What do you mean? How can you be all the Council sent?!" The Salarian Captain, Kirrahe, exclaimed. "I lost half my men scouting out that base. There is a legion of geth guarding the place. To say nothing of the army of krogan the bastard is growing!"

Before John could respond, Wrex shoved a pair of STG member out of his way as he stormed up to where the two men stood. "How is that _possible_?" he demanded, a low snarl punctuating his words.

"Saren," Kirrahe shook his head. "He has managed to make some sort of cure for the Genophage." Turning to John, he seemed to dismiss the krogan. "We need to get in there and destroy it!"

"No," Wrex said flatly. His voice was cold as ice. "My people _need_ that cure. We're already _dying_ by inches!"

Kirrahe, said nothing, seemingly ignoring Wrex. "The krogan were a mistake to begin with. We can't allow them to breed out of control again."

Shoving between John and the salarian captain, Wrex stood eye to eye with Kirrahe. "We are NOT a mistake!" his previous icy demeanor gone, replaced by a deep fiery rage. "We have suffered long enough because of your poisons!"

"Commander," Kirrahe said, calmly eyeing Wrex. "I suggest you have a word with your team member. Before I forget he's with you."

A deep rumble came from Wrex's throat as his hands clench and unclenched.

"Wrex," John said quietly. "Wrex, let me handle this. Please."

For a loaded minute, nobody was sure what would happen, but Wrex spun and looked John in the eye. "My people are _dying_ Shepard." With that, he turned and stomped his way down the beach.

Turning back to Kirrahe, John scowled, but before he could speak, Kirrahe cut in. "I'm going to see what kind of plan I can come up with, combining our resources. You may want to get your team in order." With that, the Salarian turned on his heel, striding quickly into his command tent.

Walking up the beach, John stepped next to Wrex. The krogan was looking off into the distance toward Saren's base. The fortified walls were just visible through the jungle and ocean glare.

"You've seen what the Genophage has driven us to, Shepard," Wrex spoke quietly. "It is slowly killing us."

John stood for a moment, his own eyes looking toward the base, but not really seeing it. "This cure is a trap, Wrex. You know that, don't you?"

"Maybe it is," Wrex admitted, bitterly. "Maybe that's what it will take for my people to be free."

"Or maybe," John argued. "More likely, it is a yok, designed to make your people into slaves."

Rounding on Shepard, Wrex stepped forward, less than an inch from John's face. "You haven't seen it, Shepard!" Wrex growled. John could feel the krogan's hot breath wash over him as he spoke. "The piles of dead children, stillborn. You never heard the _weeping_ of the females as they threw themselves off cliffs, rather than bare the shame of being infertile. Or unable to withstand the pain of all the death. You have never seen the number of females that died from the complications caused by the Genophage! YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT!"

John just looked into Wrex's eyes and nodded. "I haven't Wrex. I know I haven't. And by the Goddess, I want to help you. I will do everything, anything, I can to save your people. But we can't let them become slaves to Saren. You would just be changing one terror for another."

A ripple of biotic energy flowed over Wrex as his teeth clenched in a snarl. He stood, terrifyingly still, his hands balled at his sides, as he stared at John. And John looked back at him, sympathy in his eyes. Sympathy, but a will as hard as stone.

Then, after a breath, everything seemed to flow out of the great, old krogan. "I know." His head hung as he squeezed his eyes closed. "I am old, Shepard."

"I know," John nodded. "You've mentioned it before."

Sighing deeply, Wrex opened his eyes and looked at Shepard. "No. You don't know," he insisted. "I _fought_ in the Rebellions. I was there when the Genophage was released. I watched my people wither and die. The salarians and turians took us to fight their war, and when we became inconvenient, they tried to brush us under the rug. When they couldn't beat us, any better than they could the rachni, they killed our children. Our future." Wrex turned again to look down the beach at Saren's base. "You're right, Shepard. This isn't the way to save my people. I'll help you destroy the sonofabitch that tried to use my people. I won't let us be used anymore."

Reaching out, Wrex offered John his hand.

John looked at the hand for less than a second, before clasping Wrex around the forearm. "I'll help you whenever you ask for it Wrex."

The krogan nodded once, and laughed. "I know you will, Shepard. It's why I'm still here. And, by the way…"

Glancing up at Wrex, John cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Think you could tell your little attack varren she can back off?"

His eyes widening, John leaned over to look around Wrex. Standing not twelve feet behind them, Ashley stood, her rifle held loosely in her hands, pointing at Wrex.

Snorting, John started to laugh, quietly at first, then growing in volume. Wrex smirked but began to laugh as well. After a moment, the two soldiers stood leaning on each other as they laughed out their anger.

"We are going to kill the fucker," John squeezed out, between wracking breaths.

"Damn straight," Wrex agreed, doubled over and trying to breath. "He is going to bleed."

"What the hell is up with you two?" Ashley called out, sounding annoyed.

John and Wrex both turned to look at the woman for a long moment. "...What?" she asked confused.

"Bwah ha ha ha haa!" "Hah ha ha haa!"

* * *

John, Virmire, Command Tent

"Commander," Kirrahe stood as John stepped in. "I've been going over what we know of the base, combined with my troops and your team's abilities, and I believe I have a plan. Of sorts."

"Well, that's encouraging," Garrus drolled, leaning against one of the tent's poles.

John and Kirrahe both turned and looked at the turian. For a long moment.

"What?"

Exhaling, John shook his head. "Mister Ever Helpful there has a bit of a point. What do you have in mind, Captain."

"Well, this is going to require high risk, and no small amount of luck to pull off, come," Kirrahe gestured for John to follow him to the map table.

"It gets better!" Garrus threw in.

"Really, Garrus?" John turned. "Do you maybe have anything _else_ you could be doing right now? Anything at all?"

"I have my job here, Boss," the turian grinned. "I am providing witty commentary, to lighten the mood."

Deciding it would be better to simply ignore the man, John turned back to Kirrahe. "Continue, please."

"Yes, Shepard," Kirrahe nodded, following John's lead in ignoring Garrus. "We have pulled the drive core from our drop ship. It's taken enough damage that it isn't going anywhere, anyway. We have the equipment to convert it into a bomb."

"What?!" Tali stepped forward. "The blast radius will be several kilometers!"

Kirrahe turned and regarded the quarian for a moment before nodding. "Yes, but it the only thing we have that can completely eliminate the base, and everything in it."

"Tali?" John turned to her. "Is it feasible?"

Turning to regard him, Tali nodded. "Yes. There ship has..or, had… A Gromark type four drive. It's small, but has a strong power output. The problems with them, is the system containing them can overheat easily, if not maintained properly." Tali began pacing along the side of the command table, her visor pointed down as her hands writhed together as she thought. "Making it into an improvised bomb would be pretty easy. Too easy, really. The problem will be keeping form detonating before you want it to…."

Reaching out a hand, John laid in on her shoulder, stopping her pacing and getting her attention. "What if we used a quad modulated field. Used it as a poor man's laser heat sink? It could generate the power to cool it, itself, and when we want it to go off, we can simply shut it off."

"Yes...Yes! That would work!" Tali nodded excited, before pausing as if remembering. "But where would we find that kind of emitter?"

With a grin, John pulled out one of the shield prototypes he and Tali had reverse engineered from the geth portable shields.

Clapping her hands over the device, the quarian bobbed up and down on her toes nodding emphatically. "Yes! Perfect!"

"Okay...now that we have figured out _how_ we are going to blow ourselves to hell, how are we going to get it where it needs to be?" Garrus stepped up to the table. "With the number of geth guarding the place, it would be a bitch even if we had an army."

"Yes, well," Kirrahe nodded. "That is the part I _have_ figured out. Commander," the salarian turned to him. "If you don't mind having your team member assist my engineers with the drive core? She seems to have a good understanding of the core in question as well as your device, there."

"Good idea," John nodded, passing Tali the emitter. "Show these guys how _our_ team does it."

"Yes, sir!" Tali nodded saluting, before being led out to the staging area.

"Seems to be a bright girl," Kirrahe said as she left. "Could use more like her."

"Really?" John turned to regard the Captain, unable to hide his surprise. "I was under the impression that most people didn't take the quarians seriously."

Frowning, slightly, Kirrahe half shrugged. "Yes, well, most people are morons. The quarian people created an artificial intelligence, granted, on accident and to disastrous results, but the brilliance involved is staggering. They were a space faring race that had colonized their cluster for almost a thousand years _before_ they discovered their relay. They have kept a fleet of over fifty thousand ships together and working for just over three hundred years. They are a _brilliant_ people."

For a moment, John just stood slack jawed, before breaking into a grin. "You have a good eye yourself," he said with a small shake of his head. "So, how are going to deploy the bomb?"

"The Normandy," Kirrahe stated simply. "I will be breaking up my men into three teams," he gestured to the table and shifted the rocks that represented his people into three distinct piles, before naming them. "Aegohr, Mannovi, and Jaeto."

"Aren't those the names of your first three colonies?" Garrus asked as he scanned the battle map.

Kirrahe nodded. "Yes. It's to remind the men what it is they are fighting for." Turning back to the map, the salarian continued. "Each team will attack the base from a different angle, drawing off defenders. That's when your team, shadow," Kirrahe moved another set of stones around the back of the base. "Your team will infiltrate from behind."

Looking over the map, John frowned slightly, tapping his index finger on his lips. "And who is going to be taking out the AA tower?"

"I will," Kirrahe said, gesturing to the map. "My team will come in over this ridge when the rest of you engage, and head directly for the tower." Pausing Kirrahe looked up directly at John, unblinking. "And for that, I will need one of your people. I am a bit short handed."

Meeting the Captain's eyes for a moment, John looked back at his people then back to Kirrahe. Before he could say anything, Garrus cut in with, "How about Wrex?"

"Really Garrus?" Kaiden shook his head. "We are looking to explode a massive enemy base, and you think sending Wrex with the salarians would be a good idea?"

"No, of course not!" Garrus frowned. "It would be a terrible idea!" But then his face split, with his mandibles flared wide in a turian grin. "But it would be _really_ funny!"

"That…" Kirrahe regarded Garrus steadily. "Is a good point. It would be pretty funny." The salarian's face didn't crack even a little.

Rolling her eyes, Ashley stepped forward. "I'll go with the Captain to the tower, Skipper."

John laid a hand on Ashley's shoulder and smiled. "Thank the goddess I have somebody that is reliable."

"Hey!" Garrus said, offended.

Ignoring the turian, John turned to Kaiden. "I'll place you with the team deploying the bomb. Your tech skills should come in handy for that."

"Sounds good, Shepard," Kaiden nodded, rubbing his hands together. "I always did love blowing stuff up as a kid."

"Alright, we have our assignments, let's gear up and get this over with. I got wash going," John slapped Garrus on the shoulder as he headed out of the tent. _This is going to be a hell of a day…._


	32. CH32 Virmire Assault

Kaiden, SSV Normandy

Sitting. That was his current mission. Everybody else is out trying not to get killed. But, he gets to just sit here. And stare at a bomb. A bomb with enough power to obliterate thirty kilometers. _Fun times_ , he thought.

Around him, the team of STG troops stayed busy. They either went over their armor, or weapons, fussed over the bomb, or examined the Normandy. Or at least the cargo bay.

Bomb. It wasn't really that big, not for it's power. _Say...the size of two foot lockers?_ Kaiden pondered. _Maybe three hundred pounds?_

As he watched the salarians, from the Special Tasks Group, fine tune the thing, he had to shake his head in amazement. The tech involved went clear over his head, and he wasn't too shabby at it, having gone through the same Sentinel Program that the Commander did. But still. This was _not_ something they covered. It was mildly irritating that Shepard seemed to have a grasp of the concepts, if not able to do the work. Tali, on the other hand, she was the one able to set the whole thing up, leaving the fine tuning and stabilization for the STG guys. _At best, I can set it off_ , he frowned.

Shepard. And Tali. The quarian seemed to really like the Commander, even if she didn't seem to articulate it. _Well...when he is involved she can't really articulate anything beyond tech matters in his presence_ , he grinned to himself.

Liara. He wasn't sure about her. It was clear that she was also into the Commander. He rescues the maiden from captivity and certain doom, then seems to be able to channel the species that was her life's work. _Like the Commander? Surely not!_ Now he snickered.

Then...there was Ashley. What good cheer he had built up disappeared immediately. She had _strong_ feeling for Shepard. She was also filled with resentment. Having confronted Shepard about his, in her mind, affair with Liara, she had been shot down. And she took it a bit poorly, to say the least. _But then...she came to me…._

The same night she had drug him behind a small bulkhead, into a maintenance access room, and attacked him. Not with her fists, but her lust and anger. All her pent up emotions had been let out on him. More than once. It seemed every time Shepard did anything that confirmed her presuppositions about his relationship, she took it out on him. _Not that I fought it, particularly…_

And that was probably the point. He hadn't. _He,_ infact, had liked _her_. Almost from the beginning. She was a beautiful, strong and courageous woman. She had the outgoing and strong personality he always wished he had. _And you can't bring yourself to tell her,_ he thought, still frowning at his boots. _What if she pulls away? What if she...what if. Always, what if._

With a sigh, Kaiden leaned back and rubbed his forehead. Probably the most irritating part was Shepard's obliviousness. He seemed to have absolutely _no_ idea about the three women. The irony, the least aggressive one, Tali, was the one he seemed to have a strong attraction to. It was maddening! _Not so maddening you didn't get involved with the betting pool though, dipshit…._

Ashley was now down helping the STG team clear out the AA tower, so that he could swoop in and deliver the bomb, While Shepard stormed the back door.

 _Maybe...Maybe when this mission is done, maybe then you will tell Ashley the truth. Then you can tell her that you love her._

 _No you won't._

 _Dipshit._

* * *

Garrus, Virmire, Saren's Base

Looking back, Shepard frowned. "You were the one that originally said it couldn't make it."

"I'm just saying," Garrus was saying. "It sure is too bad we couldn't fit the Mako back over these rock formations. Dying shame!"

Shaking his head with a grunt, Shepard jumped down into the ravine that ran up to the large, almost fortress sized base. "Still think it could have made it. Too late to go back for it though."

"Yes," Tali agreed, eyeing Garrus as she went by the turian and jumping down. "Crying shame. Almost feels like somebody set it up."

Garrus's mandibles flexed slightly. "I don't know what you mean, Tali," he said innocently, following the first two down. "It just looked like that gear engager you fixed last time cracked loose again."

"If you children are done?" Wrex, said dropping heavily, and landing with an impact that shook rocks loose from the surrounding ledges. "There _is_ the Evil Overlord's Base to sneak up on?"

"Does this count as his Base though," with a blue flash, Liara lowered herself using her biotics. "Or would the ship, Sovereign be his Evil Base?"

"Huh," Shepard looked thoughtful. "I would say this is his base, and Sovereign is his Lair?"

Catching up to Shepard and Tali with a quick jog, Garrus shrugged. "I don't even know what the difference is," he admitted, stepping between Shepard and the quarian. "Tali, you're the expert on Evil Overlords."

The moment Garrus stepped between her and Shepard, Tali's body language changed. It seemed to get more tense, maybe...nervous? _Wow, she's got it bad…_

"Umm, well...This would probably be the Lair?" she sounded uncomfortable, like the reaction one would have if they had a rock in their shoe. "A Lair is hidden right? And a Base is a center of operations." Looking back, Shepard frowned. "You were the one that originally said it couldn't make it."

Snickering quietly to himself, Garrus took pity on the poor quarian girl, and stepped back a bit from the pair. It was almost immediate, but her posture relaxed, and she took an unconscious step closer to Shepard. Now that she was a half a step behind, she began to cast glances at the Commander. _I wonder how long these two will dance around,_ he wondered.

"Tali's right again," Wrex agreed stepping up beside Garrus, and glaring at him. "She continues to show her expertise in the matter."

"Yes, I have to agree," Liara said, as she passed Garrus and Wrex, coming up on Shepard's side, opposite of Tali. "Our little quarian will be a great Evil Overlord!"

" _Keelah_ …." Tali muttered, slapping a hand over her visor. "You guys are never going to let that go, are you?" Even with her casual actions Garrus noted how Tali moved a step forward, moving parallel to Shepard now.

"Of course not!" Garrus threw back. "When you are vanquished by the Dashing Hero, probably me, you will have to remember these moments for you dying monologue."

"Garrus," Wrex rumbled. "You are _not_ the Dashing Hero."

"Hey!" Garrus replied, incensed. "If it's not me, then who _would_ be?"

"Liara," Shepard grinned over his shoulder. "Liara is probably the Dashing Hero of the group."

"Me?" Liara seemed to get a bit more blue. A blush? It was difficult for Shepard to tell sometimes. Turians, naturally, didn't have that particular issue.

"Yeah, and Wrex is the Witty Sidekick," Shepard continued. "Two geth on the tower."

"I can handle that," Wrex nodded, as Garrus fired two shots, dropping both platforms. "Shepard is probably the Ineffective Prince locked in the tower."

"Good shot Garrus," Shepard acknowledged. "What makes _me_ the one in the tower?" he demanded.

"Thanks, Boss." Garrus nodded as he swept the tower with the scope of his sniper rifle, just to be safe. "You _are_ the pretty one, after all. Besides, I can't think of anybody _else_ Tali would want to kidnap."

With a snort, Shepard shook his head. "I am hardly the pretty one. With her obsession over it, maybe it would be the Normandy's drive core?"

As Shepard's attention moved to Tali, Liara stepped up next to Shepard now as well. _Well...this is certainly getting interesting…_

"I don't know. The Dashing Hero here, would probably be a bit more motivated to rescue the Ineffectual Prince, than the measly drive core," Garrus said, gesturing at Liara. "Juggernaut!"

Grunting, Shepard hit a key on his omnitool, shattering the large geth's shields. "How am I Ineffectual?" he demanded, looking over at Liara. As he did, Garrus noted Tali stiffen again, even if slightly.

The asari in question was flaring blue as she threw a small boulder into the geth, crushing it. "Umm, why are you asking me?" Liara said, flustered.

"You're the Dashing Hero," Shepard sighed and looked at the wall before them. "Up and over, I guess…."

"Oh, don't worry so much Shepard," Garrus clapped his human friend on the shoulder. "Liara can do our biotics while you are gone, I will do the shooting, Wrex...can be Wrex…."

"Funny, Vakarian," Wrex shook his head. "And who will do our tech?"

"Oh, Tali, of course!" Garrus nodded, pleased with himself.

"I..uh...I thought I was the Overlord?" Tali stuttered, her gaze shifting between Shepard and Liara. "Aren't I the one having my wicked way...er...Ah! I mean...oh... _Keelah…."_ Tali turned around and squatted down, both hands over her visor.

"Ah, don't worry, Tali," Garrus patted the girl on the shoulder. "I figure you are just waiting for the proper time to betray us before you have your Wicked Way with Shepard."

" _Akiee…_ " Tali squeaked, almost becoming a small ball and rolling away.

*slap* *slap* *slap* Three impacts rocked the back of Garrus's head. "Hey!" he cried turning around. "What was that….uh oh…"

As he turned, all three of his companions stood, glaring at him. _You_ may _have gone a tad too far there, Vakarian…._

* * *

Wrex, Virmire, Saren's Base

"Flyers are down, Captain," Shepard radioed Kirrahe. "Moving inside."

"Good work, Commander," The Salarian replied. "Without the flyers we are pushing on the East perimeter."

"Copy, that," Shepard keyed off his comm and looked at the team. "Let's hit it."

With a grin, Wrex slammed open the door. Not many entrances could withstand a Krogan's charge. Almost none of them could handle the bioticly enhanced charged of a Battlemaster, and this was not one of those. "Ha, ha!" Wrex laughed as broken concrete and the ruins of the metal door scattered through the room.

"See? Told you we didn't need to hack the doors!" he chuckled, dusting himself off. Turning around he saw the rest of the squad standing in the doorway. Shepard's mouth was open, as was the asari's. Garrus's mandibles were open and drooping, meant the same as the human expression. Tali was kneeling at the edge of the door where she had been starting her hack. Now that the door was gone, however, she was leaning around the doorframe, staring at him.

"What?" he asked. "It's open now, isn't it?"

"Uh...yeah," Shepard agreed as he held out a hand to help Tali up. "I was hoping we could go for subtle though."

Wrex noted the ease in which the quarian took Shepard's hand and stood. He also noted how close Tali stood to the commander, even if she, nor he, seemed to notice. _Kids…_ he mentally rolled his eyes.

"Really?" He asked aloud instead. "You didn't think the two teams of STG didn't alert them?"

"I'm sure it did," Shepard responded, walking into the base. "But, in theory, they didn't know we were coming from this direction."

With a shake of his head, Wrex shot down the argument. "Afraid not. The moment we shot the first geth, they knew." He turned to Tali. "Right?"

As the team turned to her, Tali's hands began to wring in front of herself. "Umm...Ye-yeah. Geth have a..like..a collective mind when they are in closer proximity, remember? What one knows, the others...um..they know too."

With a triumphant look, Wrex turned to Shepard. "See? Speed was more important!"

"But, Wrex," Liara spoke up, lifting her hand . "Haven't we wasted any time we would have gained by talking about it?"

Blinking a couple of times, Wrex hung his head. "I hate you people."

Later,Western Holding Cells, Saren's Base

As they stood in front of the cells, Wrex frowned from the back, his arms crossed. Something wasn't right. Most of the captive salarians seemed to be just standing, or sitting, staring at nothing. Except this one. Private Meno Avot, he named himself. This one was jittery, even for a salarian. He kept tapping his head, even as he paced in his cell.

"It's the whispering. The unstoppable whispering," Menos was saying. "It won't stop. They put it in, now they won't take it out."

Stepping up to the door, Shepard stared hard at the salarian. _Good,_ Wrex thought. _You can be far too trusting._ It was Shepard's greatest weakness, or at least Wrex thought so. _But then, he did turn this random collection of misfits into an effective combat team, so maybe he has something going…_

"If we get you out, can you get the rest of these salarians out? Kirrahe is leading an assault of the far side of the base, but if you go out the back, we cleared it out." Shepard asked, as he looked to Tali.

As the quarian began her hack, Wrex shook his head again as he hefted his shotgun. _Nevermind,_ he chuckled mentally. _Looks like this will be a fight. A piss poor fight, but it's something._

True to his prediction, the moment Menos's door was opened he sprang out of the cell, a pistol he had been hiding behind his back coming up. Behind him, the other salarians, who had been zombie-like until now, charged out, unarmed, but still violent.

"The whispers!" Menos yelled, raising his gun. "They demand you di- ACK" He was interupted but a blast from Wrex's shotgun.

"Heh," the krogan laughed. "Told you."

The other salarians were easy to put down, but still, they fought until killed. One even drug itself across the floor on one arm to bite at Garrus's ankle. It was pretty funny watching him dance around trying to shake the "little nipper', as Wrex had started calling it, off.

"Wrex…" Shepard sighed and looked to him. "Next time I am about to release some sort of psycho prisoner, would you slap me?"

Wrex regarded Shepard seriously for a moment before walking over and placing a hand, solemnly on his shoulder. "Shepard," he said, gravely, inclining his head and closing his eyes. "Nothing could make me happier. Except slapping Garrus."

"Hey!"

* * *

Liara, Eastern Holding Cells, Saren's Base

"Infiltrators down!" Wrex called out as two blasts from his shotgun cut the aforementioned geth into four halves.

Gritting her teeth, Liara lifted the geth Juggernaut From the ground and smashed it into a wall, smashing the stone and sending the platform hurling into one of the empty cells. "Juggernaut down, not dead," she called as she stepped away from the hole.

A shot from Garrus's rifle took care of the machine. "Scoped and dropped!" the turian called cheerfully.

 _Amazing..._ That was really all she could think to say. _Simply amazing. Shepard had collected us only a few months ago, and we are working like a commando unit that had been together years. Better, really, if you consider we took care of a couple of_ actual _commando units!"_

She watched as a blue spark shot from Tali's omnitool, hitting a geth sentinel and dropping it's shields. Shepard, in perfect timing with the quarian, was already stepping in and thrusting a packet of warp energy into the geth's chest, ripping it apart at a molecular level.

Shepard. The name brought feeling she had never had before. At first she denied it. _It has to be some sort of childish crush, right?_ She had thought.

Then she had suppressed it. _It doesn't matter anyway. He wouldn't be interested in an asari, he has humans, like Ashley, that want to be with him..._

Finally, it had been acceptance. _He has an asari step-father, he accepts interspecies. And...he turned down Ashley. Maybe there is a chance…._

Then she shook her head as the geth Tali and Shepard had teamed up on, collapsed. "Clear!" he shouted, to be echoed by the rest of the team. _I am getting surprisingly used to this..._ Liara thought for a moment. _Sure, you had been trained by Matriarch Benezia. And you may have had to deal with pirates and raiders, but this, this is war, little girl._

As she stepped forward towards Shepard, she saw Tali trip over a broken geth's limb, only to fall into Shepard's arms. They froze for a second, their faces centimeters apart.

"Shepard!" Wrex called out. "More Salarian survivors! You gonna try to let them out so I can slap you?"

Jumping slightly, Shepard stood Tali back on her feet and nervously looked around for a moment, before turning fully to Wrex. "Don't slap me," he told the krogan with a tired voice. "If I try to set them free, you can slap Garrus."

"Hey!" the turian objected.

Normally, the interaction would have made her laugh. Perhaps she would have joined in. But right now…. Right now she was...jealous? Her eyes widened. _I'm jealous...of Tali?_

She looked at the quarian. The young girl was staring at her hand. The one Shepard had caught. After a moment she clutched the hand to her chest and lowered her head, before seeming to sigh and moving to join the rest of the team.

 _...She loves him,_ Liara realized, suddenly. _She really loves him!_ She was struck once again by the wave of possessive jealousy, but it was quickly replaced by the tragedy of it. _There is no way they could be together. She has to return to her Fleet, and people. And even if he shared her feelings, they could never be together because of the suit._

A frown of concern spread across her face as she joined the squad herself. Looking away from Tali, Liara's eyes met Wrex's impassive ones. _He knows,_ Liara knew it. She wasn't sure how, but his gaze somehow told her. _He knows everything. My feelings, Ashley, even Tali. How does he know!?_

As the krogan gazed at her, he took a step to her side and spoke quietly. "Do you want to slap Garrus?"

* * *

Tali, Saren's Base

"Think Lieutenant Ganto will be able to get the other salarians far enough from the base?" Garrus was asking Shepard. Tali wasn't sure how she felt about the situation. The first group they had released tried to kill them, but Ganto and his group didn't. Though Ganto was far more coherent. As in, at all.

 _Was kinda funny to see Liara slap Garrus in the back of the head when Shepard opened the cells though_ , she thought. She smiled for a moment before looking at the asari, then her heart seemed to melt. It always did now.

"I hope so," Shepard said, as he worked his omnitool, overriding an elevator's lockouts. "I'd rather not kill more people than we have to."

Garrus was about to say something when the elevator doors opened, revealing a geth Juggernaut. "How many of these damn things does Saren have!" the turian yelled as Shepard shoved him out of the way, even as the geth fired it's heavy machine gun into Shepard's tech armor.

The impact blew the human's body back directly into her, knocking them both into a tumble on the ground.

As Tali shook her head, she looked down to Shepard, where he lay atop her. _Didn't we meet like this?_ Was the first thought that passed through her head. It was followed almost immediately by her realization that the Shepard's armor and shields had collapsed under the barrage.

Slipping her arms under his, Tali heaved Shepard over onto the ground next to her. _Keelah!_ She groaned inwardly, under his weight. _What is the Con'alds made of?!_

Any mirth she felt evaporated immediately as she saw the red blood leaking from his armor. "Shepard!" she cried, searching his body for the wound, worried what she might find.

As she searched him, he groaned, and clasped her hand with his. "Hey there," he said. "I generally charge ten credits to feel me up."

"Shepard!" she cried again. She was doing that a lot in this last minute, she noted. This sime, however, it was shocked embarrassment. "Stop it! You're wounded!?"

They could both hear the Juggernauts destruction, even as he nodded. "Yup," he admitted. "Not bad though. Flesh wound. Quick in and out on my right upper arm, and one in my right hip. Armor's medi-gel already closed 'em off, and hit me with a painkiller. Good to go." He nodded, giving her a thumbs up.

"No, but...Shepard!" she argued even as he pulled himself to his feet with a pain filled sigh.

"Don't have time to lollygag around Tali," he said, offering her a hand.

She looked at the hand a moment and noted that it was the arm that had just been shot. For some reason her vision tinged red as she slapped the hand away, and leaped to her feet.

The surprise was clear in his eyes as Tali pushed past him. Approaching the downed Juggernaut, she drew her shotgun and unloaded into the metal frame until her weapon shut down and vented heat.

As her vision slowly returned to normal, she realized she was breathing hard and her teeth were clenched together. She was furious. At Shepard, for being wounded. At the geth for wounding him, and at Saren, for putting Shepard in the situation to be wounded.

Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Tali turned to the team. The stood there, looking at her with surprised faces. For some reason, that just made her more angry. "Can we go now?" she demanded. "I feel the need to shoot more stuff."

* * *

Quarian Lexicon

Akee: Quarian expression of mental and/or emotional pain. Like saying 'Ow' but for one's feeling or thoughts. Ie: expression of extreme embarrassment

Con'alds _:_ Curse word used in the same manner as humans use 'Bastard', but worse. Direct translation is 'product of a mating between siblings'


	33. CH33 Virmire Destruction

John, Interior, Saren's Base

"Who do you think you are?!" The krogan yelled. The krogan...in a lab coat. "Get out of here! Immediately! You will _not_ interrupt my righteous work!"

The krogan was surrounded with medical equipment. And bodies. Dozens of bodies. Both human and krogan were laid out on tables, vivisected and flayed out. The body of the female krogan he had been up to his elbows in when the arrived, twitched a couple more times, before the light in her eyes went out.

Some of the human bodies showed tampering, and mutations. The bodies...they looked like someone was trying to splice krogan and human DNA, with terrible results.

"Goddess…." John looked to Wrex, but the krogan was already stepping forward, his shotgun coming up.

"Doctor Droyas," Wrex growled. "Die." With the final pronouncement, Wrex fired into the krogan doctor's head. The first shot ripped a hole in his head plate, staggering him, the second exploded his head, spattering the wall with Droys's brain matter.

"Knew him?" Garrus asked, slowly looking around the room. "The bastard looked even worse than those Cerberus asshats…"

Grunting, Wrex glanced at the turian. "Only by reputation. Droyas was a talented scientist. He specialized in work on the Genophage. Rumors spread that he was getting a little….overenthusiastic."

"Looks more than a little," Liara almost gagged.

"Yeah, well, word went around that Saren had taken him down," Wrex gestured to the room. "See how well that went."

"How about we keep moving?" John said, opening the next door. Leading out into a hall, a staircase at the far end lead up to what appeared to be another room.

The room itself was a small office. Cabinets lined the back wall, a pair of chairs flanked a small table topped with a lamp and even a coffee pot. The opposite wall was a bay window, overlooking the base. In front of the window, however, was a simple desk. And seated at the desk was an asari.

Standing, the asari stepped around her desk. She seemed unarmed, but for an asari, that didn't mean much.

"Oh thank the Goddess!" she exclaimed, taking John aback for a moment. "You have no idea what these people do here!"

John was taken aback for a moment as he eyed the woman. "I have a rough idea. Who are you?" he demanded.

"Rana! Rana Thanoptis!" she exclaimed her hands clutching at John's. "Please, you have to get me out of here!"

Frowning, John pulled his hand away from Rana and took a step back. "Tell me what's going on here."

"Right, Yes! It's...Sovereign. Saren's ship has this weird...ability," she began. "It...it gets into a person's mind. After awhile everything Saren says, well, it sounds...right. After enough time some people seems to see him as some sort of religious figure."

"I've seen that," Liara said bitterly. "Why are you here?"

Swallowing, Rana seemed to recognize Liara, but wisely didn't say anything. "Ah, yes...well, Saren has gotten...paranoid. The ship has a mind of it's own. Saren set this base to breed the krogan," she eyed Wrex warily. "But, um, it's main focus is to study the indoctrination. Saren wants a way to protect himself from it."

"And that's what you were doing?" Garrus asked, as he leaned against a wall, his arms crossed.

"Yes. When the position to work for _Saren_ came up, of course I jumped at it. I mean, he was supposed to be the best Spectre alive!" Rana shook her head, defeated. "But when I got here I was assisting Doctor Temes. Then," she shivered. "Doctor Temes ended up in the cells you had to have passed through to get here. If I stay here longer it might take me too! Please! Help me!"

John stared at her impassively for a moment before jerking his head at the door. "I intend to blow this place to atoms. You start now, maybe you'll manage to outrun it."

Rana nodded franticly as she made for the door. The moment she passed its threshold, she ran.

"Think that was a good idea, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

John gave a bitter short laugh. "No...no, in fact, it was a pretty bad idea. Let's just go."

* * *

Shortly, Saren's Private Lab, Virmire

"A beacon…." Liara said quietly. Slowly she walked around the device, examining it with wide eyes. "Is this like the one you encountered on Eden Prime?"

John stared at it hard for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Pretty much exactly. This one doesn't seemed damaged though. Or on?"

"Well, maybe we should have brought Ashley along after all," Garrus said. "I mean, it was her job to activate it last time, wasn't it?"

"Heh," John chuckled. "Yeah, maybe-AAA!"

As John took another step the beacon flared to life suddenly. It's energies reached out and lifted John off the ground, suspending him even as it reached into his mind.

 _Imaged flowed, great machines. Reapers. Ships like Sovereign, hundreds, thousands, blotted out the stars. Worlds burned, one after the other. Flesh was ripped apart, then rebuilt. Wires and machines cut flesh and meshed with it. Screams as trillions of lives winked out._

 _Protheans, they died. System by system. Stars die. Planets burn. Species are eliminated. But...hope. Plans. The beacons are planted. They will guide the next cycle. They will not die for nothing! The machines. The reapers shall die! Illos. Seek Ilos. Mu Relay. Secret…._ Black.

Groaning John realizes he is on the floor. Well, not entirely. John finds his head on something soft...yet firm.

As his eyes open he looks up at Tali's helmet, looking down at him. The eyes he sees, glowing behind her visor are full of fear. "John!" she calls out. Her voice sounds...soothing...to the pounding in his head.

"Garrus!" he heard Tali say, her helmet looking away from him. He feels...disappointment… "Garrus! He's awake!"

"Oh, thanks the Goddess!" he hears Liara.

"About time," Wrex rumbles.

"Shepard…" Garrus begins, irritation in his voice. "You _really_ have to stop doing this. It is _terrible_ for my heart."

Chuckling, John winces as he sits up. "Well, I am the Ineffective Prince after all. Had to be captured by the Evil Overlord at some point." John gestures at Tali.

"Dammit, Shepard!" Tali hits him on the arm. Hard.

"Ack! I surrender!" John scoots away from the quarian, his hands are up. He is surprised at her sudden assertiveness. He...kinda likes it…

"I...know everything now," John frowns. "The Reapers. They weren't a race that built Sovereign. Sovereign _is_ the Reaper."

"How is that even possible?" Liara gasps.

"I...don't know," John winces, his hand goes to his head. "I can't think clearly right now, it's too much too fast. I need some time."

"Well, we don't have much," Garrus grunts. "You were only down for about a minute, but we need to clear this place so we can blow it to hell and gone."

He looks up at the turian and nods. "Let's get out of here."

As he stood up, a pad next to the beacon lit up. The holographic image of Sovereign, itself appeared. "SHEPARD." It rumbled. It's voice was everywhere, vibrating off his bones. "YOU STRUGGLE AGAINST THINGS YOU CAN NOT COMPREHEND. THE HARVEST SHALL CONTINUE."

"I know what you are now!" John snarled. "You're a Reaper."

"OUR EXISTENCE IS BEYOND YOU. YOUR DESTRUCTION IS IMMINENT. WE ARE YOUR SALVATION."

"Salvation?" John scoffed. "Like you were for the Protheans? Or any of the races before them?"

"YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND. WE ARE PERFECTION. WE WILL RAISE YOU BEYOND WHAT YOU ARE. DO NOT STRUGGLE. JOIN US, AND YOU MAY LIVE TO SEE THE EXALTATION OF YOUR SPECIES."

He could feel the pull of its command. It tugged on the edges of his mind. He almost gave into it. He was about to take a step. A step that would have doomed him. Until he saw her.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tali stood. Her eyes shone like stars, and were focused on him. He could never disappoint those eyes.

"I don't think so," John scoffed. "I can't look uncool in front of the ladies, like Garrus."

"Hey!"

"Besides. I have a better Evil Overlord that has already kidnapped me," John crossed his arms and leaned back, with more bravado than he actually felt.

"SO BE IT."

As it spoke it's last, the beacon flared again, suddenly, but this time, exploded, sending shockwaves across the room, and sending the team tumbling."

"Everybody alive?" Garrus called out with a groan, as he slowly got to his feet. "Except Shepard. He's an ass."

"Fuck you, Vakarian!"

"Heh, found you."

* * *

John, Base Exterior

As the door to the elevator opened, John stepped out into the sun. Just in time to be shot in the chest.

The blast ripped apart his tech armor, picking him up off of his feet and slamming him back against we rear of the elevator.

With a groan, John looked down to see that his armor absorbed the blast. Now it looked like shit, but he was alive.

"What the hell was that?" John yelled as he saw his squad diving different directions.

"Saren," Garrus yelled back.

Shaking his head, John rearmed his tech armor and stepped back toward the elevator door. "This day, fucking sucks," he muttered.

Kaiden, SSV Normandy

"Commander!" Joker yelled into the comm, even as he swung the Normandy into place over the main courtyard of Saren's Evil Lair. "Commander! Sovereign just pulled a turn that would sheer any Alliance ship in half! Try to pick up the pace a bit!"

As the Cargo doors lowered, Kiaden and one of the STG members were already moving down it, while carrying the bomb. "Deploying now, Shepard!" he said. "We'll hold the area, just get your ass moving!"

Kaiden watched as the Normandy pulled away, before giving his head a quick shake. The STG soldiers took up positions around the courtyard as geth began to arrive. The skirmish quickly devolved into a one sided firefight, as the geth now sought to overwhelm the salarians with numbers.

 _Shouldn't have decided to tell Ash,_ Kaiden admonished himself, as he threw a warp at the oncoming machines. _Classic blunder._

 _Dipshit._

John

Dropping of his hover platform, Saren looked around himself slowly. Seeing John, he began to walk towards the human even as he clicked his tongue disappointedly. "Shepard. You have become a right pain in the ass, you know that?"

"Good," Shepard replied, even as he charged out of the elevator. His assault rifle snapped up and he held down the trigger, unloading his weapon's entire heat sink into the evil turian.

"Apes," Saren said, almost sadly. "You humans reach too far beyond your means. You just step onto the galactic stage and assume you will be given what you don't earn." As John reached him, Saren's hand shot out in a blur, catching him around the neck and lifting him off the ground.

"Never…*keh* never asked for any- *keh* anything," Shepard squeezed out as Saren's hand began to close.

"Really, Shepard?" Saren looked pityingly at John. "Anderson was a fool as well. When will you realize that you should not challenge your betters?"

Looking over the cybernetic implants grafted into Saren's body, John's eyes widened. "The Reapers…*keh* they...have you!"

For the first time, Saren's facade broke, as he snarled, throwing John across the rooftop. "How DARE you!" he nearly screamed. "The Reapers _are_ coming! You've seen the beacons! You know what happened to the Protheans!"

Grunting, John nodded as he stood. "Yeah. The Reapers wiped them out."

"Yes!" Saren nodded vigorously. "Yes! And the Protheans were _far_ more advanced than we are! The Reapers created the Relays Shepard. They guided the evolution of species and harvested them when they reached a certain point. And now," a sad look again crossed Saren's features. "And now, they will take us."

"Then we fight them you ass!" John yelled back, jerking his shotgun from the mag-clamp on his lower back. "Help me fight them!"

"No, you fool!" Saren brushed aside John's shotgun blasts as he struck the human, sending him reeling again. "That is _why_ the Protheans were destroyed! We have to work _with_ the Reapers! It's the only way!"

"Only way?" John was incredulous. "We help them slaughter ourselves?"

"You don't understand," Saren grasped John's ankle, lifting him over the edge of the rooftop. "If we help them _now_ , many will die, yes. But _some_ will be spared. It's the deal that was made."

"Deal?"John struggled. "You monster! You are supposed to help people! You're a goddess damned Spectre!"

The comment gave Saren pause. The turian frowned and threw John to the ground with bone jarring force. "I…" the turian began clutching at his head. "No...I…"

"Saren?" John's eyes widened. "Saren! Fight them! It's not too late! Let me help you!"

"N-no!" Saren screamed, a biotic energy wave lashed out from him, throwing John back again. By the time he was able to pull himself up, he saw Saren leap onto the hovering platform and race away.

"Dammit…" John muttered before bringing up his comm. "Joker, get my signal, we need extraction. Inform Charkwas we have injured."

* * *

Ashley, AA Tower

"Commander, we need relief or we will be overwhelmed!" Kirrahe was yelling into his comm. "The geth are making a hard push, and we are cut off!"

 _Figures,_ Ashley grunted in her mind. _I go out surrounded by salamanders… No,_ she shook her head now. _Beings. Aliens, but they are people._ Ashley felt shame for the first time. She never really thought about it, but she was one of _them_. She always despised bigots. Yet she never realized she was one. _Ashley...you are an ass…._

"Kirrahe!" she yelled. "Look to the left! Two more!"

"Thanks Chief!" the Captain yelled back, firing on the advancing geth.

"Anytime Captain. There are worse people to die with!" Ashley grinned a feral grin.

Kirrahe...smirked. It was the first time he had ever shown an emotion around her. And, maybe not just her, judging by the expressions of the STG around her.

"I can say the same, Ms Williams," he said, slapping her on the shoulder. "You fight well. Almost as well as a salarian."

"Oh, I'm gonna make you eat _that_ comment!" Ahsley yelled, as she drew a grenade. "I think I am going to waste _way_ more of these bastards than you are."

"Fair bet, I accept," Kirrahe, smiled for real now, as Ashley threw her grenade. "Loser buys the other's team drinks." Shouldering his heavy assault rifle, the salarian Captain began to fire into the crowd of geth."

The comm crackled. "Shepard!" Kaiden's voice came over. "I'm cut off. Too many geth, the team's gone. I've armed the bomb. Get Ashley and get out of here!"

Kaiden, Central Courtyard

"Get Ashley and get out of here!" Kaiden yelled, ducking back behind the bomb. Glancing around the explosive, he saw more geth dropping in, even as fire made him duck back. He clutched at the burning in his side as he tried to suck in breath.

"No!" he heard Ashley yell over the comm. "Commander! Get Kaiden! Get him out! Don't worry about me!"

Kaiden chuckled to himself as he heard the emotion in her voice. "It's too late, Shepard. I'm sorry. I'm not making it at this point, anyway. I armed the bomb. I'm making damn sure it goes off."

"...Understood Lieutenant," Shepard said, gravely. "We are clear. Find peace with the Goddess."

With another laugh, Kaiden shook his head. "You always revert to asari stuff when shitty things happen Shepard." He paused again and sighed. "Ash...I'm sorry. I didn't have the guts to say it before, and this isn't fair to you now...but I…."

* * *

John, SSV Normandy, Cockpit

John stood behind Joker, his knuckles white where he gripped the back of the pilot's chair. On the beautiful planet below, he saw a great flower bloom. When it faded again. It took John's friend with it.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay... So the originally I was going to kill Ashley and not Kaiden. But when I was writing Ashley ended up having something I could write about, and I struggled to find a reason to keep Kaiden. In fact, as it was, I had to go back and rewrite some bits to even give Kaiden some gravitas. Dude is just too boring.


	34. CH34 Lockdown

John, Citadel

"Grounded," Garrus grunted. "How can those idiots not take this seriously. With what we've seen-"

"Yeah," Wrex cut Garrus off with a wave of a hand. "The problem is we've seen it. We don't have any proof of it."

"Didn't the footage from Tali's visor help?" Liara asked, confused. "They saw the recordings we showed them!"

Tali stood to the side, holding her arms together. "Yes, but my helmet's display isn't designed for that kind of recording, so the quality was terrible. It..it wasn't hard to discredit. And...I'm sorry...I just wasn't close enough to Saren to get any audio...It's my fault…" Tali hung her head, shaking slightly.

"Enough," John said quietly. "Enough. We're grounded. Tali, it's not your fault. It's mine. I should have found a way to convince them."

"Shepard, It's nobody's fault," Garrus said. "It's the Council's fault for being morons. And Udina's for being...Udina. I honestly can't think of anything worse than that at the moment."

" _Det kazuat_ …" Tali muttered under her breath.

Wrex chuckled even as Shepard frowned slightly. "What was that?" he asked. "My translator didn't catch that."

"Oh! Um...didn't think you'd hear me…." Tali trailed off, her hands wringing. "It's...nothing..just, um..just a quarian...thing. Doesn't translate."

"Uh huh," John nodded, clearly not convinced. "Any input?" he asked, turning to Wrex.

"Oh, no," Wrex shook his head. "I'm not getting into that one."

"Well, alright then," John sighed. "I'll just assume what Tali said was terrible and that I agree with what ever it was."

"Commander Shepard!?" a voice rang out across the presidium lawn. "Oh wow, I'm your biggest fan!"

* * *

Garrus, Citadel, Presidium Commons

 _This might be the best day of my life_ , Garrus thought. As it was his face hurt from the grin on his face. The subject of his glee was the blonde human. He was an inch or two shorted than Shepard was. He was a little on the softer side, probably had an office job. But the best part was his eyes, or more specifically, the hero worship in those eyes.

"Oh wow!" the human exclaimed, running up on Shepard and violently shaking his hand. "I'm your biggest fan!"

Shepard, for his part just stood stunned. His eyes were wide and his body was rigid. Garrus wasn't sure if he was going to run or hit the man. _Probably run,_ Garrus thought with glee.

"Um...Yes, thanks?" Shepard nodded after a moment. "Can I help you with...something?"

"Oh! Sorry!" the man exclaimed dropping Shepard's hand and stepping back. "My name's Conrad Verner! Like I said, I'm your biggest fan! I'm the president of the 'Commander Shepard, The Galaxy's Greatest Human Spectre' fanclub!"

Garrus didn't think his grin could get any wider. Apparently he was wrong. "Spirits, thank you for this blessing…" he muttered, before turning to Conrad. "How many people are in this...club?" He asked.

"Oh..well…" Conrad seemed to deflate slightly as he looked to the side. "Right now, I'm the only member…"

"Commander Shepard is the only human Spectre," Tali added, sounding confused. "Isn't he?"

"Yes!" Conrad puffed back up. "Commander, I was thinking, what if you made me a Spectre too!"

The team all went silent, staring at Conrad. Everybody seemed to be shocked.

Wrex began to laugh, breaking the silence, as Garrus tried to shush the krogan, laugh, and speak at the same time. "No..um..Conrad…*snerk* so what is it you heh, want to become a Spectre for?" _There is_ no _way this isn't going to be amazing._

"Well, Conrad grinned looking at Shepard's team. "I figured we could team up!"

"Team up?" Shepard deadpanned, staring at Conrad.

"Yeah!" Conrad nodded his head so hard Garrus was wondering if it would pop off. Did humans do that? "We could go around the galaxy together! You know, righting wrongs! Arresting bad guys! Getting the _ladies_ …" Conrad's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "If you know what I mean…" He punctuated his remark by jabbing Shepard in the ribs a couple of times with his elbow.

"The only way it would have been possible to make this moment better, would be to have some way of recording it," Garrus laughed. "You know, for...posterity!"

Shooting the turian a glare that could melt steel, Shepard turned to the awe struck Conrad. "Look, Conrad," he began. "I'm not the one who appoints Spectres...But..I'll tell you what…" He said quickly as Conrad's face fell. Garrus was pretty sure the pudgy human was going to cry. "I'll, um, I'll put in a good word for you with the Council…"

Tears did flow now. Tears of joy, of happiness. Flinging himself onto Shepard, he caught the Commander it a great hug. "Oh, thank you!" he exclaimed, letting go and activating his omnitool. "I'll send you my extranet address! Contact me when they approve it!"

"Right…" Shepard nodded. "I'll be sure to do that…" Garrus nearly squeaked trying to keep himself from laughing as he watched Shepard delete the address as soon as it arrived.

"Well, I am sure you have to go save the galaxy, but can I get a picture before I go?" Conrad stared like a puppy begging for scraps.

Shepard stared for a moment before giving a curt nod. "Fine, let's get it over with…"

* * *

Tali, Citadel, Lower Wards

Tali walked a step behind Shepard, with her hands clasped together as they walked through Zakira Ward. It wasn't the best place down below, but it was decent enough for her to get the usual dirty looks and whispered comments. Those, she was used to, but it was that Shepard was receiving them by her just being near him, that was what hurt her.

"Um…" she began. "Shepard? Maybe I should go and wait someplace else?"

She wasn't sure what she expected from the Commander, but him stopping in the middle of the path and spinning around, wasn't it.

Unable to stop herself, Tali bumped into his chest. With a squeak, she scrambled back, only to have a hand drop onto her shoulder, holding her closer than she was used to. As Tali looked up into his face, Shepard was looking down at her, frowning. _Oh, Tali,_ she thought. _What did you do?!_

"Tali, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to force you to come with me. I didn't even think about what you planned to do." His expression was bitter, and it hurt Tali's heart to see it.

"No, Shepard," she assured him. "I kinda wanted to come down here to the Wards anyway. I wanted to see if I could find anything useful, you know, for our mission."

Shepard looked pained as his hand dropped away from her shoulder. She was unable to suppress a small feeling of disappointment when it did. "No, Tali, I meant on this whole crazy mission," he began. "I took you, a kid just out of the Fleet for the first time, and drug you into this mess with Saren, and geth, hell, we even had to deal with rachni, of all the damned things." As he spoke his tone grew more and more bitter, and his expression darkened.

"You have your Pilgrimage Gift," he told her, unable to look her in the visor. For the first time, she realized. He had _always_ looked her right in the eyes when he spoke to her. At first it had made her uncomfortable, but now that he wasn't doing it, she found it painful.

"No," she said firmly, before grabbing his hand and looking around. Seeing an aily, she half drug Shepard into it before whirling on him angrily. "No, Shepard. You don't get to throw me away so easily." her voice was quietly angry. "I'm the one that asked you to let me come with you. Me! It was my decision! I _wanted_ to help you fight the geth! I _wanted_ to help take down Saren!"

Shepard's face was a complicated mix of emotions as he looked down at her. "But-"

"I'm not done," she almost snarled. "You have helped me with my Gift. It's true, and it means so much to me, more that you would ever understand. But I want to help you. I want to be on your crew for as long as you'll let me."

"I...of course, Tali," Shepard's head dropped, defeated. "I want you on my crew. You're the best engineer I have ever seen. I'd be lost without you…" Slowly he lifted his head to look her in the eye. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid I will have to make the choice whether or not to leave you to die, like I had to do with Kaiden. I...I don't think I could make that decision."

"You won't have to," Tali said finally. "We are going to find a way to go after Saren. We will stop him and become heros. Then I kidnap you and take you to my Evil Lair. I'm your Overlord, remember?"

Shepard chuckled then, even as he sniffed. "Allright, I had forgotten that…"

Inhaling a deep breath, Shepard looked at her again, some of the life back in him. Glancing down to where she still held his hand, he smiled slightly. "I almost forgot…" he said. "Give me your omnitool."

Following his gaze, Tali's face burned, as once again, she was happy her visor was opaque. Quickly dropping his hand she unhooked the bracelet that was the projector for her omnitool. She was a little self conscious of it as she handed it to him. Her tool was larger and more bulky than the ones they had now. In fact, this particular one dated to before the war with the geth, three hundred years ago. The internals, of course, had been repaired, replaced or modified many times over the years, but still…

Pulling a brand new omnitool from a pouch of his armor, Shepard tapped it to her older model and waited for a few moments. Blinking, it took Tali a moment to realize he was transferring the data from her tool to the one he has pulled out.

"Shepard? What are you-" she began, but was cut off as Shepard grabbed her wrist and clicked the new tool into place.

"I picked this up for you the last time we were here, but I didn't get the chance to give it to you. I had to use my Spectre authority, but I got it before it's to be released in about six months." He looked down, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I modified it to match your combat profile, and transferred your data to it just now."

"I...Shepard," Tali looked back and forth from the new omnitool and the Commander. "I can't accept this!"

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her and smirk. "Consider it wages for services rendered on this mission. Besides, Every edge in the fight against the geth, right?"

Tali looked at him for a long moment, processing his words, before hitting him on the arm. Hard.

"Ow!" he exclaimed clutching his right bicep. "What was that for."

"For being an ass!" she exclaimed. "And...thank you."

"Some thanks," he muttered, as he clicked her old omnitool onto his right wrist.

"Shepard?" he asked confused. "What are you doing with my old tool? Yours is far better than that one."

A smirk spread across his face as he shook his 'new' tool at her. "Well, now I have two of them. I can relegate some of the lower priority programs to yours. That way, I will be able to upgrade the power used be my tech armor, as well as load the omniblade."

"Well," Tali said shaking her head. "I got something for you the last time we were on station too…" Reaching behind her she pulled the Carnifex hand cannon from its hard point. Its-"

"Drop the gun, quarian," A voice demanded from the mouth of the ally. "You're under arrest for robbery!"

" _Keelah…_ " she muttered. "Just when it starts getting good…."

* * *

Ashley, Citadel, The Seedy Tavern

She sat nursing her drink. Her...she had no idea how many she had at this point. She was nicely as drunk as she could get without throwing up, and it was her plan to stay that way for as long as humanly possible.

 _That some of a bitch_ , Ashley could honestly say that she wasn't sure whom she hated more, Shepard or Kaiden. _Who...I hated more. Whom? Who? Fuck it, I hate them both_.

But she knew who she really hated. Shepard did what he had to do, he made a horrible call. One Ashley was sure she could never have made. And Kaiden...she didn't realize he...that she…

With a growl, Ashley downed her drink and waved the asari waitress over for another. It was one of the redeeming features of this place. Nobody gave a shit, as to how much you drank. Nobody cut you off when you 'had enough'. Ashley was glad Captain Shepard told her about this place.

As the waitress delivered the drink with a small smile and nod, Ashley couldn't help but feel...irritated. It wasn't fair to the woman, she didn't do anything. She just reminded her of Liara. _I mean, she..._ Ashley frowned. _Well, I guess she is far skinnier, in fact she looks kinda gaunt. Blue! No...completely different shade. No facial markings._

Dropping her head on the table Ashley grunted. She couldn't even be angry at an asri properly. It wasn't Liara's fault anyway. Ashley had gone to Kaiden out of anger, originally. She used him. She liked him, sure, he was a sweet guy but... _But, what? You stupid bitch…._

"But I liked him!" she exclaimed as she sat up and downing her drink. She sat there for a moment before realizing she had yelled. Slowly, her head turned to survey the room. Nobody looked at her. Nobody paused their conversations. Nobody cared. _I am_ really _happy the Cap suggested here…._

There was a crash that caused Ashley to glance over to one of the nearby tables. A salarian with an eyepatch was grabbing at that asari waitress, causing the woman to drop the drink off her tray.

Standing, Ashley walked over to the small rukus, and standing next to the asari, silently.

"The hell you want?" the salarian demanded.

Ashley narrowed her eyes as she turned to the asari, and smiling took the round tray from the woman's hands. Then, still smiling, she turned and swung it as hard as she could into the salarian's face.

 _Oh,yes,_ she thought even as the salarian's companions stood snarling. _I am_ really, really _glad Cap suggested here…._

* * *

Captain David Anderson, Citadel, Flux Bar

 _I'm getting too old for this shit,_ Anderson thought wryly.

He sat in one of the darker booths of the bar, as far from the crowd as he could get, but still see the door. He took a drink from his beer as he considered what had led up to this moment.

He had been a top graduate from N7 school. He had distinctions from the First Contact War. Hell, he had even been up to be the first human Spectre. If it hadn't been for Saren, he would have been.

 _Saren..._ the thought brought a sneer to his face. _The bastard intends to destroy all sentient life in the galaxy and the Council_ still _won't do anything to stop him!_

Taking another drink, Anderson frowned at the table. _Udina was blocking them as well. Probably out of spite though…._

"Anderson."

"Shepard," Anderson gestured to the seat opposite him.

As the boy… _No, I suppose he is a man now. Hannah has a right to be proud of him._ As the _Commander_ , sat, Tali moved into the booth next to him. _Heh, they don't even realize the other feels the same…._

"Let's talk about how to get you on your way," Anderson grinned, leaning forward.

* * *

Later, Human Embassy

"Captain Anderson," Udina huffed. "I told you before. The Normandy stays here. We will be needing it when Saren get's here."

"I know, Donnel," Anderson nodded as he approached the ambassador. "I know you won't be letting Shepard take the Normandy anywhere."

Blinking, Udina nodded. "Good, I'm glad you have come around. Shepard is a loose cannon. Probably unstable from his exposure to the Prothean artifact. In fact, I am filing the paperwork to have him locked up until his mental health can be established. Now-"

Udina was interrupted by a fist cracking into his jaw, knocking the man cold.

As he slumped to the floor, Anderson looked at his fist and smiled. "That felt even better than I thought it would," he chuckled to himself. Stepping over Udina's unconscious body, Anderson brought up the Ambassador's controls, releasing the lockdown on the Normandy.

"Reading all green, Captain," Shepard commed in. "We might have time if you want to come with us."

Laughing Anderson simply shook his head. "Get out of here Shepard. You are playing a young man's game now. Just give Saren a couple extra shots, for me."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

* * *

Quarian Lexicon

 **Det kazuat:** Term of curse, considered especially crude. Literal Translation: Living sack of excrement. The Otquer, a large predatory lizard, will pass its meal neatly wrapped in a membranous tissue. Inside the sack, the enzymes used to break down the meat of the prey while still in the lizard continue to act as a stimulant keeping the indigestible brain synapses of its last meal still working until the sun dries the sack out.


	35. CH35 Tali, Before Ilos

Tali

She was afraid. She couldn't stop thinking about him. How his eyes always looked straight at her. How they never fell aside or stared at her suit. He always looked AT her.

She couldn't stop stop thinking about how they worked together. How he would pass her the right tool, or part, almost before she asked.

How they talked. He was full of questions about her people and the Flotilla. He didn't make assumptions. He never gave her any reason to feel ashamed for herself. How he went out of his way to defend her from those that would put her down. How one of the few times she had seen him angry was when Garrus was going on about how it was the Quarian's own fault for the situation they were in and who they had to fight now.

She loved his face, how the shape was so different from her own, yet so beautiful. His eyes sparkled that brilliant blue. She loved that easy smile. How every time she saw it she felt it was only for her. She loved how tall and broad her was. How he was some much bulkier than Quarians, even males.

She loved how he moved. So strong. With such purpose. How, even when surprised, he was so confident, he never wavered. He was always ready to defend his team. Always.

She loved how he cared. He cared so MUCH for his crew. He was there for Liara, when he was forced to kill her mother. How he stopped Garrus from taking vengeance on Doctor Saleon, and instead convinced him blood wasn't justice. How he fought his way through that Turian war profiteer's house to retrieve Wrex's family armor.

How he gave her the Geth data. He asked for nothing. He just smiled. He was happy to help her find her Pilgrimage gift. He knew how much value if would have to her people. And he knew that it was classified Alliance data. But he didn't even hesitate. He just smiled that beautiful smile. The one just for her.

And she loved how he cried. How he felt the pain of Kaiden's death so much. She saw him, once behind a bulkhead. His beautiful eyes cried silent tears for the man he was forced to leave on Virmire.

She might have started the bonding. _Keelah._ She knew it wasn't even _possible_ to start _Yennes'Vas_ with another species. But. She could feel something like what it must be like.

Tali leaned back in her sleeper pod and looked at the device Shepard had made for her. A small thing. She had complained about how quiet the Normandy was. He was shy when he gave it to her, he hand was rubbing the back of his neck. It was just a small speaker device, but it was connected to the ship's core. She could hear the thrumming of the ship. It made her feel at ease. It helped her sleep.

With a small sigh, Tali glanced toward his cabin. She could go to him. Maybe tell him how she felt. Tell him of the bond.

No.

There was no point. She was just a silly little Quarian girl. She wasn't even an adult yet. Not really. Not until she went back to the Flotilla and gave a Captain her gift. Not until she left him.

She had to go back. She knew it. He wouldn't let her throw her people aside. He wouldn't let her get caught in a fantasy that could never be. She was trapped in her suit. She could never touch him. She would only be able to watch from the outside. He would not let her do that. And she loved him the more for it.

Then she saw Liara. She watched her walk to the Captain's cabin. She watched her steel herself and touch the announcer.

After a moment Liara's head came up, looking at something. Looking at _him_. Tali could tell. She saw the smile light up Liara's face as she stepped into his room.

Tali's helmet knocked lightly against the sleeper pod window as she leaned forward. She didn't expect it to hurt so much. She could feel the pain, like a blade, shoved into her heart. She moaned quietly to herself, hot tears ran freely down her cheeks.

She scrambled for the inside handle of the pod. She couldn't stay here any longer! She had to get out. She would go down to engineering. Lose herself in work. Smother the pain of the thoughts in her mind with numbers and images and tools.

She had just pushed open the pod door and begun to step out when she heard Shepard's door open again. She watched, confused as Liara came out, her face down, a look of sadness was clear and...disappointment? She watched as Liara took a deep breath. She glanced at Tali, and smiled a small warm smile, before walking back to her place in the lab behind the medical bay.

Slowly, Tali steped out of the pod, closing it behind her. She moved quietly to the door of Shepard's quarters. Silently she laid her gloved hand on the door. She then leaned into it, resting her visor on it's matte surface.

"I think I love you," she said. Her voice was so quiet, she wasn't sure she even said it outloud. She tilted her head back and stared at the ceiling. _Ancestors, please. Help me know what to do,_ she begged.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of the lift arriving on the crew deck, and the door opening.

Tali jumped back from Shepard's door as Wrex stepped out and turned. His red eyes stopped on her. She watched them zero in on her, his pupils shift, widen then shrink to slits. He stood there. His massive scarred head, just looking at her.

 _He knows!_ Her mind cried out. Keelah, _he knows._

After a moment the Krogan nodded to her. "Zorah." That was all he said before turning the corner into the mess. Tali followed him meekly, her hand twisting together in front of her, as they always did when she was worried.

Wrex went to the storage cabinet and rummaged around in it, pulling out enough rations to feed five humans. One of his eyes rotated to focus on her as he paused briefly. Turning to her, Wrex tossed an object at her.

Tali caught it more out of reflex, than anything else. She looked down at the food tube in her hands, before looking back up at the Krogan questioningly.

"It's food," he rumbled. "You eat it." He moved to the table. Dumping his load of rations on it before taking a seat. As he began opening packages, he made a growing pile of foodstuffs on one of the metal trays the humans used. "Not entirely sure how you eat those things."

"Oh," Tali said, sitting at the table opposite him. "There are two slots on the underpart of the helmet. Food or water tubes can slot into them, so we can eat or drink whenever we want to."

"I know that part," he snorted. "I mean they are disgusting. They have no taste and the texture is like paste."

"You have eaten food paste? But it's dexto based food!"

"So? I am Krogan" he looked up at her as he put a small handful of the Alliance protein rations in his mouth. He looked at her while he chewed. She froze, wondering if this is what the animals of the Krogan homeworld felt like while being stared down. He swallowed and wiped his mouth off. It was an oddly civilized motion for a Krogan to take.

No, that thought was unworthy of her. Of Wrex. That was the same type of thinking that the galaxy aimed at her people. Then it occurred to her. Quarians and Krogan were a lot more alike than she had thought. Both species suffered terrible ostracization by the galactic community at large. Her people were all thieves and liars and ' _suit rats_ '. Krogan were always brutes, stupid and aggressive.

However, if nothing else, her travels with this crew had taught her many things she never thought existed. She learned that there were Krogan that were shrewd, loyal and brave. A Turian could be a good friend and ally. She found an Asari that would listen to her troubles and give her advice.

Then there were the humans. With this crew Tali had seen the best and worst side the peoples had to she left for her pilgrimage, she was told to be careful with humans. Nobody was quite sure how they would fit in. She was told that they were aggressive and expansionist, that she should just keep her distance.

But...This crew she had worked with on this mission all treated her like one of them. They would make room for her at this very mess table when she came in. Adams would listen to her when she had ideas about making the ship run smoother.

And then, there was _him_. Shepard. She looked down at the tube in her hands and slowly slotted it into her helmet with a click.

"Penny for your thoughts."

The voice startled her. She had gotten so distracted she had forgotten Wrex was even there. Though, she really didn't understand the phrase. Must be a Krogan thing. "Um, what is a penny? And how would I give somebody a thought if they offered me one?

Wrex shrugged his shoulder. "No idea. Shepard said it to me once. I think it means 'What are you thinking about'"

"Oh. That is a strange expression." Tali looked back at Wrex, noting that he had polished off nearly the entire mound of rations he had grabbed.

"Thinking about Shepard, huh." Tali's eyes widened as the Krogan spoke.

"How did you….I mean who told you…" She cut herself off as Wrex rumbled a laugh.

"Girl. I have been around for a while. I remember your people before the suits." he gestured up and down her body. "You kinda, lean into him when he talks. It's kinda adorable."

"I'm...just worried for him. After the thing with Kaiden, and Saren and everything."

"Uh huh."

"Really!"

"Uh huh."

Tali drummed her fingers on the table top as she ate some of the paste. Wrex finished off the remaining rations in a few bites. Then wiping his hands off on each other he stood.

He was enormous. Tali was always amazed by his sheer size. It was frightening when she knew his mind was probably an even stronger.

"Look Tali," he spoke. "If all my years as a mercenary have taught me one thing, it's that regrets are the worst way to go. There is no way to count the number of times somebody's last words were ' _I wish I told them how I felt'_. Do it or not. Either way, make your decision before the end comes. Otherwise you could hesitate and cost everybody."

He nodded, then turned from her and took the lift back down to the cargo bay, leaving Tali alone with her thoughts.

She looked at Shepard's door again. Maybe she should do what Wrex suggested. She could just go over there, right there, and tell him everything.

But, no. She wouldn't He would send her away like he did Liara. Or worse, he would laugh at her.

Shaking her head, Tali walked back to her pod and climbed into it.

 _No,_ she thought to herself. _He would never laugh at you, foolish girl. He is far too good to do that. That's why you won't go tell him. You don't deserve him._

She turned her head away from the Captain's quarters and cried herself to sleep.

Quarian Lexicon

Yennes'Vas: the beginning of the binding soul bonding of a Quarian to their prospective mate. Vas indicating the mate is mal. Tas indicating the mate is female. At this point the binding can still be separated, though doing so will cause minor trauma, and lingering feelings for the rest of that Quarian's life.


	36. CH36 John, Before Ilos

John, SSV Normandy, Captain's Cabin

Sitting at his desk terminal, John leaned on his elbows as he rubbed his hands over his face. This was harder than he had odds were so stacked against them, he had to write his family. It was important they knew how he felt.

 _This stupid dictation software is ridiculous_ , he groaned. _Maybe I'll just edit this by hand…_

As he reached out to save the mail, his door chimed. Jumping, John's finger hit the *send* button. _Well….fuck. Now I_ have _to die…._

With a shake of his head, John stood and opened his door. To his surprise, Liara stood there, her hands clasped in behind her back. She was looking at the deck, but her face was set in an expression one would have if they stepped on something cold while barefoot.

"Um...Liara?" he said after a moment.

Liara's head snapped up when he spoke, her eyes as wide they could go. "Oh, umm...I.." she stuttered before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Shepard. I want..no. I _need_ to talk to you, and this may be my last chance."

Surprised, John nodded and stepped aside. As he stepped aside, Liara's face broke into a warm smile. "I..I have been thinking about you, Shepard. I have been thinking about you a lot. I don't know what we will face when we reach Ilos. And I hope we can stop Saren. But...part of me fears we are already too late…"

"We won't fail, Liara," John said, trying to sound more assured than he felt.

"Please," Liara shook her head slightly. " I need to get this out. I _have_ to be honest with you...in case…"

John nodded and stepped back, his eyes earnest.

"Shepard, I...I care about you. Very much. More than as a friend. I want to...I want to be _with_ you," Liara spoke with urgency, her voice wavered ever so slightly.

"Liara," John began. "I…" But he was stopped as Liara held up a hand, her eyes going slightly saddened.

"No," Liara breathed quietly. "I know. Your heart is elsewhere. I knew it before I came here. But, part of me was selfish. I am sorry. To both her, and to you."

"What?" John frowned confused. "I don't know what you mean."

Liara smiled warmly and giggled. "And you don't even see it. Mother always warned me about people like you. Well," she shook her head in a rueful manner. "I shall not help the woman who has defeated me. All I shall say is that I wish you both luck. And come what may. I will always be your friend. Shepard. Always."

Liara's eyes roamed over his face for a moment as if committing it to memory, before she turned suddenly on her heel and walk back out through the door.

Standing there, John blinked and dropped heavily into his chair. "What the hell just happened?' he asked the empty room.

* * *

To: BluBioticGoddess2170, Captain Hannah Shepard, Captain Jane Shepard, Hesti_Shepard

From: Commander John Shepard

Subject: Awkward

Dear Family,

Well, that sounds stupid. Let's start again.

Hey, Guys!

Not better John.

Hey,

I know this may be hard for you guys, and honestly, it's awkward for me. But this is important. I want you guys to know how much you all mean to me. You are the best family anybody, of any species could ever hope to have.

This is horribly out of order. Note to edit.

I know this may be hard for you guys, and honestly, it's awkward for me as well. I feel like I need to send this to you all before I face Saren. I am probably not going to make it back, but I will do everything in my power to stop him.

Hopefully, this will end up being silly and unnecessary, but I need you to know that you guys are the reason I am able to keep going. I need to protect you from monsters. Literally. Monsters from beyond the edge of space want to come and eat everybody. I'm sending Mom, Jane and Hestalia all the data I've collected on this stupid mission.

Jane, remember all those games we used to play when we were kids about being heros going on grand quests? Well it's all bullshit.

But if I don't make it, it will be up to you and mom to prepare the galaxy for what is coming. I don't think you will be able to rely on the Council, They don't want to see it.

Either way, I want you to know, you were always an okay sister. I have a few complaints, but I'll let them slide, since I know how you'll be crying like a small child. Like that time your balloon got away at the Mindior fair. I'll attach the image for Kelly.

Speaking of. Kelly, you are the light of my life. Easily my favorite sister and the best asari in the galaxy. I want you to be strong. You're a genius, and you'll go far. Please, work hard, support mom and Hestalia. Don't worry so much about Jane. She's a jerk anyway.

Hestalia, I wish I had told you sooner, but you are the best father a kid like me could ever ask for. You did everything right. Except for Jane. Screwed her up big time. But, hey, two for three is pretty good! Seriously, you are _my_ father. I don't care what species we are, and you always will be.

Mom. Thank you for everything. Even Jane. I am worth what little I am because of you and Hestalia.

Yeah...I can't think of anything else. Okay.

Yours

Jonathan Z. Shepard

Son, brother

SSV Normandy

PS, Kelly. I give you permission to throw bigots into rice paddies anytime you want to. And if Hestalia says anything, tell her she can eat my entire ass.

PPS Hestalia, if I survive this, please don't hurt me

PPPS Jane. I love you.

* * *

To: Re: BluBioticGoddess2170, Captain Hannah Shepard, Captain Jane Shepard, Hesti_Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

Did...did he dictate this and send it without reading it? Goddess, I hope he survives so I can hold this one over him.

* * *

To: Re: BluBioticGoddess2170, Captain Hannah Shepard, Captain Jane Shepard

From: Hesti_Shepard

Give the poor boy a break. Besides, this is a good one to show whoever he ends up marrying. Probably on the Honeymoon?

* * *

To: Re: BluBioticGoddess2170, Captain Jane Shepard, Hesti_Shepard

From: Captain Hannah Shepard

Guys, don't be too hard on my only boy. Remember. He's a marine. They get hit on the head a lot.

* * *

To: Re: Captain Hannah Shepard, Captain Jane Shepard, Hesti_Shepard

From: BluBioticGoddess2170

AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO REALIZES JOHN IS GOING OFF TO DIE! WHY ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF HIM?1

* * *

To: Re: BluBioticGoddess2170, Captain Hannah Shepard, Hesti_Shepard

From: Captain Jane Shepard

We know Kelly


	37. CH37 Ilos Drop

John SSV Normandy

"Commander, we are approaching the Mu Relay," Joker reported.

"Very good, Joker," John nodded as he stepped up behind the pilot's chair. "Already have the proper heading, I see."

"Pff, of course I do," Joker looked back at John, scowling. "What kind of pilot do you take me for?"

John held up his hands in surrender, even as he grinned. "You are the best pilot in the Alliance, and I would never dare to question you."

Joker's eyes narrowed for a moment before he nodded and turned back to his control console. "Damn, straight…" he muttered.

"Allright, I want tactical up and running, and as soon as we clear the relay, I want our stealth systems up," John turned, addressing the crew via his comm. "Ground team, prep your gear and prepare for assault landing. If we're lucky, we'll catch the bastards by surprise and get in before they see us."

"Joker?" John turned back to the pilot.

With a nod, Joker's hands flew across the control panel , switching between windows, and settings. John noticed his eyes dart to the secondary seat next to him. Normally Kaiden would have been there assisting, but Joker refused any and all offers for help.

"Hitting the relay in five...four...three...two...one..." As the Normandy approached the massive relay, energy surged through the relay's gigantic mass drivers. A hand, like lighting, reached out and grabbed the ship. The energy pulsed along the relay's forward prongs and the Normandy disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Ilos

"...and...clear!" Joker called, even as the brief flash of light resolved itself into the Refuge System.

"Commander, I'm seeing three planets in system. A small hydrogen/helium gas giant, a garden world, and a hothouse further in," Navigator Pressley called in from his station. "The second planet is pinging as Ilos, but it looks to be swarmed under by geth dropships!"

Tali walked up behind John, gazing at the planet. "They won't catch us on sensors," she said, even as she brought up the secondary console. "So the only way they will see us is if they look out a window."

"I'm getting some strange readings in the middle of one of the ruins. Looks like it was major city at one point," Pressely commented. "I'm not seeing any place to drop less than thirty klicks out."

For a moment, John silently gazed at the console Tali had brought up, frowning. "Joker," John's voice was quietly serious. "I want you to drop me right on top of the bastard."

"Commander!" Pressley protested. "For a combat drop in the Mako you would need at _least_ a hundred meters! At best near Saren is twenty!"

Turning to the Navigator, John shook his head. "Then find me another drop point."

"That's what I've been saying!" Pressley gestured at the display. "There is _nothing_ anywhere near him!"

"I can do it."

Turning back to Joker, John regarded him silently for a moment before nodding. "Ground team. Load up in the Mako."

* * *

Geth platform 218592576, Iilo, Prothean Ruins

It stood alongside two other platforms just like it. And just like them, it contained 938 distinct geth programs. They all stood still and unmoving. There was no need to move. They did not get tired, or restless. They stood and watched for intruders. They each held plasma rifles, ready at a moment's notice to fire upon a target. If fact, one might think them to be statues, if not for the glowing optic lens in the center of their curved neck/head units. It was the optic that moved. The lens rotated, iris zooming in, and out. It shifted it's field of view from side to side, occasionally up, and down.

But is was this particular platform that the butterfly like creature chose to land upon. It's delicate fluttering wings bobbed it through the air where it landed on the end of the geth's rifle. The tiny creature posed fo threat nor danger to the geth, nor could it harm the weapon it rested upon.

Ignoring the creature, the geth continued its scan of the surrounding area. Except. Every now and again, it's optic would pass over the creature. Each time, the geth's gaze would linger slightly longer, and then longer, until it was watching only the creature. The geth examined the colorful, brightly patterned wing. The geth noted how delicate they seemed yet they were able to carry the creature in an almost graceful way. It had four legs, its small chitinous body was three segments, with light fuzzy hairs. It had three eyes, in a row along it's head, compounded eyes, the geth noted. It did not have antenna, the way most insect like creatures seemed to have. It did have a small proboscis extending from it's mouth, which currently flexed, probing against the geth's weapon, testing it for the possibility of nectar.

The geth did not notice when more and more of it's run times focused on the creature, nor did it notice that the other two platforms had turned to regard the creature as well, adding their own consciousnesses to the small collective examining the small, beautiful creature.

However, the geth did not recognize that they found it beautiful. They had not frame of reference to judge such and emotion, they simply felt...moved, by it?

It was the geth's utter focus that allowed them to not recognize the sound that came toward them. The first geth was slowly reaching a metal finger to the small, beautiful creature when a massive tire came down upon it's head, crushing it under the Mako's mass. The second geth unit was crushed in a similar fashion, but the third was caught by the nose of the mako as it's shocks pushed it back up, flinging the platform up to smash itself against the windshield before the platform was then sent spinning away.

Garrus, Mako, Ilos, Prothean Ruins

"Hey, did you guys see that?" Garrus asked as he looked curiously at the ceiling.

"Though I saw a rock or something pelt off the front, did you see it?" Tali replied from her seat next to Shepard, not even looking up from her omnitool.

Shrugging Garrus turned back to the turret controls. "Nah, not important."

* * *

John, Ilos, Prothean Ruins

"This place is amazing, Shepard!" Liara exclaimed, turning slowly in place. "If I could spend just one...No! Two, centuries here! Just imagine what I could uncover!"

"Well," Garrus cut in dryly as he examined a giant statue. "They certainly have terrible taste in art." The statue itself stood twelve to thirteen feet tall, and was carved out of some smooth black stone, chipped and cracked with age. Even the lichens and vines that now adorned it, could hide the distorted figure of a seated humanoid. Hands, too long by human standards reached up and clasped it inhumanly distended jaw, as it seemed to scream silently. Tentacles seemed to be erupting from it's mouth and eyes in a horrid fashion.

" _Keelah_! Tali exclaimed, glancing up from the massive vault door she was working on. "Is that..a Prothean?"

"No," Liara said, looking up at the grotesque statue. "At least, we are fairly sure it is not. Nobody is sure what the Protheans actually looked like, or why they would have made statues like these."

"They aren't Prothean," John said calmly. He was adding his omnitool's computational power to Tali's as they work in tandem to hack open the vault. "That's Inusanon. They came before the Protheans. Protheans based their tech on what they recovered from the Inusanon."

The entire team paused to look at John, even as he stood, continuing to work. After a long pause, Garrus was the one to lose patience first.

"Okay, Boss," Garrus began, already sounding tired, as if he didn't really want to hear the answer. "How could you _possibly_ know that?"

Glancing up, John winked at Liara. "Simple," he said, and tapped his temple. "I have the data from two Prothean beacons and the cypher."

"Goddess…" Liara gasped. "I didn't realize you had so much information! How much else can you remember?!"

With a shrug, he and Tali turned back to the vault. "Not sure," he admitted. "I didn't really know that until you asked."

"Well, when this is over I am hoping you can sit down with me and we could go over-" Liara's excited, rambling was cut off as the vault door clanked loudly and began to slowly open, squealing horribly.

"Well," Wrex yelled over the din. "If we had the element of surprise, we sure as hell don't have it now."

The team stood staring down a long sloping tunnel, easily wide enough for two of the armored Makos to go down, side by side. The tunnel itself was dim with lights flickering here and there before disappearing down and around a dark, shadowy corner.

"So…" Garrus nodded. "Who's up for taking the tank down the spooky tunnel?"

Garrus's comment was met by a chorus of agreements.

* * *

John, Prothean Vault

The Mako's exit ramp dropped onto the stone floor of the passageway, even as the team had already began to drop out of the vehicle. Liara's eyes were wide as she sought to take in every detail, every nook and cranny, every shadow and stone.

"Liara," Ashley's irritated voice startled out of her archaeologist reverie, causing her blink and turn to the human.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Liara nodded and trotted to where the others stood, in front of the Mako.

Tali and John stood scanning the large orange energy shield that had sprung up to block their passage. "I don't think I have seen an energy shield like this before," the quarian stated shaking her head. "It's some kinda of plasma field, being held together with a ridiculously strong magnetic sheath…."

Turning, John regarded the exact duplicate shield behind them. "I've got nothing, either," he admitted. "If you don't know it, I sure as hell am not going to recognize it."

"Well," Wrex shrugged. "I suppose we could take the elevator, then."

Pausing the team looked at him, then to the alcove he was pointing at. A curved section of wall had rotated away, revealing a small enclosure. A glowing holo panel hovered against the back wall.

"Wrex…." Garrus began. "How do you know it's an elevator?"

"Oh, well, the door opened before the platform arrived from below."

"So...It's a elevator that doesn't work right," Ashley frowned. "That isn't ominous."

"Yeah," Garrus added. "It is surly a coincidence that our car gets stuck and then this mystery door opens up. There is no _way_ this could be a trap or anything."

* * *

Below, Prothean Archives

"Stasis pods…" John murmured. "Thousands of them. Maybe even millions…"

The whole team gazed about them in wonder. Banks of the pods stood hundreds of feet in the air, and seemed to disappear in the distance, in every direction one looked. Some of them stuck out from the banks, some had small lights that flashed, most, however, were dark.

"Shepard…" Liara turned. "Do you think…?" she began, but he was shaking his head, already anticipating her question.

"I don't think it looks good," he said sadly. "It's been fifty thousand years. I'm surprised the facility has power at all."

She shook her head sadly. "Of, course," she sighed. "Imagine what we will be able learn when this is over!"

Grinning, John clapped her on the shoulder. "Then we had better hurry up and stop Saren."

"Over here!" Tali called, waving to the pair. "I think I found a path!"

"A path?" Garrus asked, raising a brow plate. "In all of this?"

"Yes. I found a path, ' _In all of this'_ ," she made little finger quotes as she lowered her voice in a surprising approximation of the turian's voice. "I was scanning and found a common junction that leads to a common source. It's down that way, I think it terminates into a terminal of some kind."

"Good work, Tali," John said as he walked toward the path she had pointed. "Let's see if we can found our mysterious...force..field...guy...Yeah, no. I lost that analogy."

Staring at Garrus, Tali leaned into him. "You can't see it," she said. "But I am sticking my tongue out at you!"

"What?" Garrus looked at her confused. "Why would you do that?"

"I..dunno, actually," she shrugged. "I was watching some vids on humans. It seems to be something they do to taunt people."

"Weird."

"Yeah, pretty weird."

"If you two are done mocking my people's rude gestures," John chuckled. "Which I admit is kinda ironic, we still need to find out what this things is- Whoa!" As John had approached, the terminal sprang to life, projecting a mass of sparking orange light. It was as if the computer was attempting to form an image, but was failing.

"You, are not Prothean," it spoke. "But you are not machine, either. This was anticipated. It was why our warnings were sent out in the beacons."

"It...looks like a VI," Tali said, stepping up beside John. "But it looks pretty damaged."

"Unlike the other who passed, I do not sense the taint of Indoctrination on any of you," it continued. "There may yet be hope."

"Shepard!" Liara exclaimed. "It's a Prothean VI! And I can understand it!"

"My name, is Vigil," it said. "I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived and have altered my out put into a form you would comprehend."

As Vigil spoke, John could see the flickers of a form in the static. It was taller than a human. Three fingers, like most of the other species. The head appeared to be broad. Maybe wedge shaped.

"You are safe here, for the moment. But this shall not last," Vigil told them. "Soon, nowhere will be safe."

Glancing at John, Tali looked at the terminal behind the projection. "Are...are you an advanced...AI?" she asked tentatively, even as she scanned it.

"I am an advanced non-organic virtual intelligence, based up neural imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of this research facility."

"Alright…" John nodded. "Why did you lead me here?"

"You must break the cycle," Vigil commanded. "The cycle has continued for millions of years. You must understand it, or you shall repeat our mistakes, and fall as we did."

"The Citadel," Vigil continued. "That is the heart of your civilization, just as it was ours. Just as it was for every civilization that came before.

"But the Citadel is a trap. The station is, in truth, a mass relay of unimaginable power. It's terminus is in dark space, beyond the edge of the galactic disc.

"When the Citadel Relay is activated, Reapers will pour through. When that comes to pass, everything you know is doomed."

"Wait, what?" Garrus looked incredulous. "How could nobody notice that the Citadel is a mass relay?!"

"The Reapers are cunning, and carefully keep the secrets of the Citadel hidden," Vigil explained. "To cover the deception, the Reapers created a species of organic, harmless seeming beings to be caretakers.

"The Keepers maintain the stations basic functions, and enable any species that encounters it, to be able to utilize the station without fully understanding the technology involved. It is this reliance that ensures that no species would uncover the Citadel's true nature until the Reapers arrive."

"How…" Tali began. "How could the Reapers survive in Dark Space?"

"We have only theories," Vigil replied. "The researches here believed the Reapers enter a dormant state, conserving energy for the thousands, and thousands of years it takes for civilization to evolve.

While they are dormant, they are vulnerable. And beyond the galactic rim, they ensure that they will not be discovered until the Citadel relay is activated."

"Huh," Wrex grunted. "If the Reapers dropped in like that, they would be able to kill the Council and rip the Citadel Fleet to shreds."

"Yes," Vigil confirmed. "That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before they knew the Reapers had arrived. Once they took control of the Citadel, they had access to records, star charts. They knew the locations of colonies and resources.

With control of the Citadel Relay, came control of the entire network. They were then able to cut off communication and transport. Isolating worlds, and systems. We became easy prey for the Reaper Reapers were then able to, systematically destroy the worlds and wipe out their inhabitants."

"With all your information, your people wouldn't have had anywhere you could hide…" Ashley gasped.

"Indeed. Some worlds were utterly destroyed, others, enslaved. The people were indoctrinated, becoming sleeper agents in service to the Reapers. They were taken in as refugees, only to betray their saviours to the Reaper forces.

"It took only a few hundred years for the Reapers to kill or enslave every Prothean in the galaxy. They are machines. Relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough.

"Once they were sure they had eliminated all advanced life, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel Relay, sealing it behind them. Only the indoctrinated slaves were left behind."

"The slaves," Garrus frowned. "What happened to them?"

"They had become mindless husks. Incapable of independent thought, they died of starvation, or exposure. The genocide of the Prothean people was complete."

"Why?" Tali cried, her arms curled around herself. "Why would they do this? Over and over?"

The VI that was Vigil paused. "It is unknown. They seem to be driven by some vast and unknowable motive that an organic mind cannot comprehend. In the end, their motives are irrelevant. The only thing that matters is stopping the cycle, before it comes again."

After a moment John looked up at the VI. "Fine. Then why did you bring me here. What do I have to do to stop the cycle?"

"The Conduit is the key," Vigil explained. "The Prothean scientists were on the cusp of unlocking the technology behind the mass relays themselves. Ilos was a top secret facility built upon the ruins of the Inusannon. Here we were able to study their technology and advance our own. And it was here that we were able to build a miniature mass relay, connected to the Citadel. The mass relay hub."

"It's not a weapon!" Liara exclaimed, turning to John. "It's a backdoor onto the Citadel!"

"What I want to know, is how you managed to stay hidden here," Ashley stated bluntly. "If they had all your records."

"All official records of the Ilos facility were erased during the Reaper's initial attack," Vigil explained. "While the Empire fell, we remind hidden, here. Severing communication with the outside, the researchers retreated here, to these archives."

"Wait," John held up a hand. "What happened to all the people then?"

"To conserve resources, everyone was placed into cryogenic stasis, to be awoken when the danger had passed," Vigil's tone seemed to take on a somber note. "I was programmed to monitor the situation, and awaken the people when it was time.

"But an entire species genocide is a long process. Years became decades, then centuries. As my energy reserves began to dwindle. I was forced to disable life support of non essential personnel, in order to conserve power. First, support staff. Then security. One by one, pods were disabled. By the time the Reapers retreated back through the relay, only the pods of the top scientists still functioned."

" _Keelah_ ," Tali muttered. "To be woken, only to find there are only a handful left, from an entire empire…."

"Yes," Vigil agreed. "The scientists were aware that the Prothean empire was doomed, as they did not have a viable population base any longer. Instead they vowed to find a way to stop the Reapers from returning. They searched for a way to break the cycle, and they knew the Keepers were they key."

""How could the Keepers be useful against the Reapers?" Wrex asked. "I mean, you look at them too hard and they melt."

"The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel itself. When it becomes time, a signal is sent to the Keepers that compels them to open the Citadel Relay. After decades of study, the Prothean scientists found a way to alter the signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications," Vigil sounded almost...proud. "This time, when Sovereign sent the signal, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in Dark Space."

"So…" John began to pace the small area in front of the VI. "If Saren is able to gain access to the Citadel, he will be able to turn control of it over to Sovereign?"

Vigil seemed to nod. "Yes. Sovereign will be able to manually override the Citadel's systems, opening the relay, and starting the genocide again."

"Then how do I stop it?" John stopped in front of the prothean ghost. "What do I do?"

"I have a data file," as Vigil spoke, a datacube extended from Vigil's console. "Take it with you and upload it to the station's master control unit. With it, you will be able to take control of the station yourselves, preventing Sovereign from accessing it. It might give you a chance against it."

"I've never heard of a master control unit," Tali asked. "Where do we find it?"

The VI seemed to turn it's attention to the quarian. "Follow Saren through the Conduit. Follow his path. He will lead you to your destination."

"I have a question," Garrus held up his hand, like he was a student in a class. "If the Reapers are in Dark Space, where the hell did Soverign come from?"

"It is logical to assume that the Reapers would leave a single unit behind," Vigil sounded irritated by the question. "It would allow the Reapers to gauge the level of civilization to be at the proper level for the cycle to begin."

"I have the data file, Shepard," Tali said, downloading it directly to her omnitool.

Vigil's form began to dim, as it spoke. "My power reserves are nearly exhausted, but Saren has not yet reached the Conduit. If you hurry, you may be able to stop him."

"We have to move!" John exclaimed, turning back toward the main passage. "We don't have anymore time!"


	38. CH38 Ilos to Endgame

Tali, Prothean Ruins, Aqueducts

Tali kicked one of her feet up and planted it solidly on the dash of the Mako's copilot seat. Properly braced, she brought up her omnitool and began scanning over the datafile they had received from the Prothean VI. " _Xelkast'morih_ _jrdense folor'iim!"_ she shouted through clenched teeth.

"Whoa!" Shepard spared a glance at her. "Translator didn't catch that at _all_! Something wrong with the file?"

As the Mako skidded sideways through the Prothean waterway, it lifted up onto the three wheels of one side, before slamming back down as Shepard brought the tank back under control.

This time, Tali didn't make a sound, she just clutched the handle that was over the door, next to her. Her teeth ground together so hard, she was afraid her fangs would snap.

"Tali?" Shepard looked over at her fully now, his face was full of concern. "What is it? Are you alright?"

Normally, his attention on her like this would make her face heat up. The bottom of her stomach would drop out...Wait….It was dropping…

The passageway dropped before them to a nearly forty five degree down angle, which they hit at ninety six kilometers an hour. As the twenty seven ton wheeled tank left the ground, Tali screamed. In fact everybody screamed, except for Shepard. He laughed.

In her terror, Tali had enough presence of mind to hear the screeching of the roof of the turret scraping along the ceiling of the stone aqueduct.

When the vehicle came down, it came down hard, the bottom of the tank then impacting on the actual ground as the shocks seemed to groan under the impact. And yet, now, as it leveled off, the Mako seemed to be picking up more speed from the downward slope.

"Shepard!" Tali cried. "I don't think the Mako is designed to take this kind of impact!"

"He'll be fine!" Shepard grinned at her. "He might get some bruises, but nothing you and Garrus won't be able to work out!"

"SHEPARD WATCH THE SPIRITS BE DAMNED ROAD!" Garrus screamed from behind them. _I...had no idea turian's voices could reach such a high pitch..._ she thought, in self defense.

Turning back to face forward, Tali swallowed heavily. "Shepard...I was looking over the program. It shows the main control unit might actually be in the chamber the Council uses!"

"Good work Tali, let me know if- Hey!" he cut himself off. "There! I see the Conduit!"

"Damn thing looks just like the relay statue on the Presidium!" Wrex called out. "You don't suppose that's where it comes out?"

"Makes sense!" Liara grunted as she bounced off the wall next to her. "And it looks like this end is already running!"

Frowning, Tali zoomed her helmet's viewfinder in to it's maximum magnification as she scanned the area. "It's not good Shepard!" she called. "I can see four Colossus around the base of it!"

Shepard took a deep breath and nodded. "Don't worry Tali. I'll get us through…." he growled as h reached out and pressed a small red button on the control panel in front of himself.

"Kyaaaaaa!"

* * *

Matriarch Lidanya, Destiny Ascension, Citadel

"Ma'am, I am getting a reading from the relay," Kallassa called out from her post at the sensor array. "I am reading a massive energy build up. I've never seen anything like this!

Frowning, Lidanya turned and walked over to the operator. All the crew of the Destiny Ascension had earned their place aboard the flagship of the Council Fleets. Operator Kallasa included. However, it wouldn't do for her to be crying out like some maiden on her first bedding.

"Calm yourself, and explain, operator," Lidanya spoke crisply. "What is the relay doing?"

"It's...Oh my goddess!" operator Kallassa yelled. "A fleet Captain! It's an entire fleet of ships! I've never seen anything like these!"

Spinning around, Lidanya strode quickly to her command console and brought up the scans herself. With a grom expression she keyed the ship's comm. "This is Matriarch Lidanya. Sounding general quarters. Man battle stations. This is _not_. I repeat, this is _not_ a drill!"

Nodding to herself, Lidanya grasped the railing around her platform. "Alert the rest of the defense fleet. I want them in formation. Bring the Ascension back to 435 mark 2219 mark 72. I want the Kurratz, the Yollaw, and the Hatzen in front of us."

"Yes, ma'am!" comms yelled back.

"Weapons, I want as many firing solutions as you can handle. Focus on point defense, except the main gun. I want that firing directly into that...thing, that appears to be the dreadnought," Lidanya grimaced. _Looks like Shepard was right,_ she thought with a quick shake of her head. _Hestalia told me, and I listened, but I didn't expect_ this!

"Ma'am! The enemy ships are firing a massive volley! They don't care about hitting the Citadel!" Sensors called.

Lidanya slammed her hand on the railing of her command platform. "Alert all ships, all shields, full power front for the first volley, then reset and attack on assigned vectors via Plan Arcturus!"

"Sending information!" Comms called.

"Shields double front," the calm voice of her shield commander came back. "Oculations primed. Snap back after first volley set."

"Firing solutions ready, Captain!" weapons announced.

Slowly looking up at the main view screen, Lidanya's eyes narrowed. "Fire at will."

* * *

John, Citadel, Presidium Commons

With a bright flare, the Mako drops hard out of the Conduit. "Shit!" John yells as the tank skids sideways before it slams into the low embankment gust off from the relay statue. The front axle shears clear off as the Mako then begins to tumble, rolling several times before sliding to a stop mean feet from the entrance to C-Sec headquarters.

"Hey...Garrus…" Tali moaned as she scanned her suit, checking for ruptures.

"No…" he responded weakly. "I'm sorry, Garrus is dead."

"Oh, well, I was going to say that if you had forgotten anything in your locker, now would be a time to pick it up."

"I hate you, did you know that?"

"No..I'm too adorable to hate," Tali chuckled, pleased to find her suit to be intact. "Although, we may want to get out soon."

"What's your hurry?" Ashley asked, as she knelt beside Liara and helping to get the asari loose from the safety harness. "I mean, other than the fact we are laying on our side?"

"She probably is referring to that fact that we are currently on fire," Wrex chuckled as he moved to the rear door of the tank. "Hmm… Looks like the hatch is stuck…."

"Well, Tali is right," John said as he stood up from his seat, and reached up to assist Tali. He had to reach up and grab her shoulders as she cut her harness loose. She then dropped lightly into his arms.

Liara stood and shook her head slightly, trying to clear the ringing. "What's that Shepard?" she asked, glancing at the quarian, a little enviously.

"She is too cute to hate," John nodded with a serious expression before laughing and setting the quarian in question on her feet. She had, in fact, weighed more than he had expected with her slim frame. She seemed to be compact muscle under that suit, it really made him want to see her…

"Umm...I...Akee…." Tali squated down for a moment with her hands over her visor. _She's...really cute when she does that..._ John thought.

"Really, Shepard?" Garrus scoffed. "Are you going to carry me like a princess too?" He held out his hands from where he hung in the gunners turret.

"Hmm…" Shepard placed his hand on his chin as he seemed to think about it. "Nope."

"Alright, princesses," Wrex grumbled. "Let's go kill stuff!" The krogan's body flared a larger, brighter blue than John had ever seen on him. In fact it was almost as bright as Benezia's field.

And it did not end with mere resemblance. Wrex lashed out with one hand and the energy surged out of it, ripping into the rear door and ripping fully off the Mako. John's mouth was agape as he watched the crumpled steel that was, at one time, an eight inch thick sheet of armor, crush a geth armature.

"Did…" Garrus looked wide eyed at Wrex. "Did you do that on purpose?"

Turning back, the krogan snorted. "What? We needed to get out, and I was tired of waiting for you dew lickers."

"No...Wrex," Liara shook her head. "I think Garrus was referring to hitting the geth."

"Oh!" Wrex nodded with understanding. "Nope."

John just laughed as he walked up to Wrex and clapped him on the shoulder. "I love you, big guy."

"Ha, ha!" Wrex bellowed.

* * *

Garrus, Citadel, Dead Elevator

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…." Garrus grumbled. "This is what, the third elevator that's given out?"

"Well, excuse me!" Tali kicked at the turian's shin. "I'm sorry I can't keep up with the giant space...tentacle.. Thing." Pausing for a moment she looked back over at Shepard. "What did you call it? A squid?"

"Yeah," Shepard nodded. "It's a sea creature from Earth. Kinda has that rough shape."

"Wait," Garrus tilted his head. "Isn't that what humans call asari when they are being asshats? Squids?"

He got to enjoy Shepard's expression as he tried not to look in Liara's direction. "Umm, yes, yes, they do. It has been used as a derogatory term by some people."

"Guys," Ashley said, leaning out the shattered glass front of the elevator.

"No, Shepard, really, I want to hear more about this squid thing," Garrus grinned. "I enjoy your awkwardness."

"Guys!"

Liara laughed, lightly. "I had always wondered what 'squid-head' meant!"

"GUYS!" Ashley yelled. "There is a ledge here that leads into the main tower. And there are geth on one of those weird hover disc things Saren had, coming up from the left."

"Oh…" Garrus shrugged and stepped forward bringing up his sniper rifle. Two quick shots and two geth dropped from the disc, but it continued up, joined by another. "Hmm, yeah, let's go inside…."

Tali stepped forward, shoving Garrus aside. "Move you bosh'tet," she grumbled, as she looked down. Then, turning, she looked Garrus in the face as her omnitool flared. As it did, both of the flying discs burst into sparks, dropping from the sky, their geth riders falling with them.

"...Show off," Garrus muttered, as he turned away and jumped to the ledge Ashley had pointed out. "Come on, I'm falling behind the quarian of all people."

"Look on the bright side," Wrex chuckled as he followed the turian. "Even Liara is ahead of Shepard."

"Hey!" Liara yelled.

* * *

Tali, Citadel, Maintenance Shaft

"Ashley," Garrus grumbled. "I hate you for this."

Tali rolled her eyes under her helmet. She knew nobody could it, but at least she knew. "Garrus," she sighed. "Do you think you could stop whining?"

Ashley barked a short laugh. "Of course he can't! If he did, the galaxy would die."

Tali's head snapped back around to the turian as she placed her hand on her chest. " _Keelah_!" she exclaimed. "This was your fault all along!"

"You know...I think I liked you better when you stuttered. Right, Shepard?" Garrus asked the Commander.

"Wait...I...don't…" Tali stuttered. _Next time, shoot him in the ass,_ Tali told herself. _Save the galaxy a lot of pain._

"There we go!" Garrus chuckled evilly. "Another point for me!"

Shepard stopped and sat back for a moment, his gaze moving from Tali to Garrus, then back. "Tali," he asked sweetly.

"Ye-yes?" she asked meekly. _Dammit girl! You're literally in a fight to save the known galaxy! Suck it up!_ "Shepard…." _Nevermind. You're hopeless._

"I am just going to point out a couple things. First, you're the Evil Overlord."

"Umm...Yes?"

"Okay," Shepard nodded. "Second, is there anyway I can be promoted from Ineffectual Prince, to something more useful?"

Tali stopped and blinked at him. "I...I don't know…"

"Of course you can't Shepard," Garrus snorted. "Just accept you are doomed to- aaaAAAAA!"

Garrus cried as Shepard's omnitool flared briefly, causing the vent hatch Garrus had been sitting on to open, dumping the turian onto a pair of geth platforms below.

"So…" Shepard asked as he smiled at Tali. "How about now?"

Tali had slapped her hand over the indicator light on the front of her mask as she tried desperately to keep her composure. "I...um….Ye-yeah..I am sure I can find a position for you…."

Faintly a muffled turian voice floated up. "Stop flirting and save me…."

* * *

John, Citadel, Council Chambers

"Saren!" John yelled as they dropped into the main chamber. "You have to stop this!"

The geth surrounding the fallen Spectre turned as one, and began firing down the wide staircase at John and his team.

As they ducked behind cover Wrex glared at him. "Really Shepard? Are you allergic to getting the drop on the enemy?"

Looking sheepish John shrugged. "I got caught up in the moment."

"Well, can we argue about Shepard's shortcomings later?" Garrus sighed as he sighted down his scope. "We have a galaxy to save!" He fired a shot, cracking open a geth's chest, sending it sparking to the floor.

"So, Garrus," Ashley raised an eyebrow as she fired her assault rifle, her rounds ripping through another of the geth. "How long have you been hanging onto that one?"

"Oh, well," Garrus dropped another geth. " I think, pretty much when I met Shepard, right over there," the turian gestured to a burning tree. "It was prettier at the time. Less burning."

"Alright guys," John shifted to look at his team, as they turned to focus on him. "We need to get through these geth and get to Saren. Wrex, you and Ashley storm to the right, push them back." The krogan and human noded, hefting their weapons.

"Garrus, I want you and Liara to crush the left side. There are fewer there, so when you put them down, swing around and help with whatever Wrex and Ash have left."

"You got it, Boss," Garrus nodded with Liara.

"Alright," Shepard nodded. "Tali, you're our quarterback for this one."

"Ye-yes!" she turned to him stiffly. "Wait...what?"

Ashley groaned and rubbed her hand on her forehead. "Don't worry about it Tali, the Commander is using a sports reference, and he is using it wrong."

With a sigh, John ignored Ashley's comment. "Anyway, you and I are going to charge up the middle. When we reach the top, I'll take care of Saren, but I need you to get to the central command unit and upload that program we got from Vigil, alright?"

"Sure...I can do it, Shepard!" Tali nodded to herself, her finger tightening around her shotgun.

"Alright, I'm not one for speeches, but this is the line. Saren gets no further. We have all worked, and bled and lost friends and allies, and family. They get no more. No matter how this goes, I expect to see you all at the bar. First round is on me!"

* * *

Quarian Lexicon

Xelkast'morih jrdense folor'iim: literally- "If you kill me, I will eat your ancestors before you"

Akee: Quarian expression of mental and/or emotional pain. Like saying 'Ow' but for one's feeling or thoughts. Ie: expression of extreme embarrassment


	39. Ch39 Storming the Tower

Ashley, Citadel, Council Chambers

"Think you can keep up, buttercup," Wrex asked with a grin. "I wouldn't want you to get lost."

Ashley snorted as she pulled her Viper sniper rifle from her back. "Old man, I was going to give you a handicap, but now you can fuck right off."

"Ha, ha! Good, glad to see some fire in you," Wrex laughed, gesturing to the grouping of geth that held the right side of the chamber. Between them and the geth Garrus and Liara were hitting, they made a deadly kill zone.

"Yeah, sure," Ashley waved away the krogan's banter. "What I want to know is how are we getting to them? The have the head of the stairs between them, the moment we charge up there we'll be minced meat before we can even clear the landing."

"Oh, don't you worry. Ole' Wrex has a plan for that," Wrex grinned. But she did worry. Especially with that look the Wrex gave her.

"What are you thinking, Wrex…" Ashley started, slowly backing away, as he moved towards her. "Wrex...seriously...what are you planning…?"

Before she had a chance to defend herself, Wrex grabbed her about the waist and lifted her up, settling her over his hip, so that her head dangled forward, her legs kicked the air futility behind them. "What the fuck, Wrex!?"

A blue biotic field rippled over the krogan's body, and, by extension, hers. As she felt Wrex's muscles bunch up. "Wrex?" she started, beginning to become even more worried as his planned began to dawn on her. "Oh, God, Wrex no! Don't do iiiiiiIIIIIIIIIITTTTT!" she screamed as Wrex leapt, throwing his not inconsiderable strength behind his jump, but then, just as he reached the apex of his jump, maybe halfway up the wall, his aura flared to life. The surge of power that accompanied it shot the pair far over the lip of the terrace and brought them over the geth, flanking their barricaded position.

As the pair came down, Wrex threw Ashley to one side, behind the geth formation, and sending her rolling behind pile of crates that had been stacked up to provide a fall back point if the geth had been overwhelmed in their primary location.

Rolling with the impact, Ashley came right to her feet, cursing. "That fucking son of a bitch", she mumbled to herself angrily. "If those fucking geth don't kill him, I will!" With a shake of her head, Ashley popped up from behind her cover, dropping her sniper rifle over the top of the crate.

They had grossly underestimated the number of geth holding this side of the chamber. Even as Wrex barreled into a small knot of the enemy, Ashley quickly scanned nearly twenty platforms. Sighting her weapon, Ashley began to open fire on the machines. And while she may not have been the shot that Garrus was, she was still able to bring down geth one by one.

* * *

Liara, Citadel, Council Chambers

Wrex's maneuver may have caught the rest of the team by surprise, but only for a moment. Even as the sounds of battle started, Liara and Garrus glanced at each other.

"We are going," Liara told Garrus as her aura flared bright around the pair. She wasn't about to let Wrex upstage her when it came to biotic strength. She was already annoyed from the Mako incident.

"Um...are we jumping too?" Garrus asked uncertainly. "'Cause, I'm not sure that's…"

"Of course not!" Liara snapped. "Stay next to me. I'll keep the shield up as we close on the geth. Once we get there, I'll open a hole in their barricade, then we start breaking them into pieces."

Garrus seemed to be taken aback by Liara's sudden fierceness, but he didn't argue, instead just nodded his head. "Got it."

Returning his nod, Liara concentrated her field down into a disc before them. She curled her bicep up and held the field as if one would a physical shield before storming up the stairs, Garrus right behind her.

As she crested the landing, the geth opened fire, only to have their rounds ricochet away, even as Liara turned her shield so the reflected rounds rebounded onto the geth themselves. Each step forward allowed her to angle the rounds more accurately, chewing through the center mass of the geth line.

Seeing their own shots turned against them, the geth fire hesitated for a moment. But that moment was all Liara needed. Taking a deep breath, she set her feet, and with a cry of effort, she pulled her shield into her hands before throwing it forward in a ball nearly the size of Liara herself.

The rolling ball of dark energy plowed into the heavy crates the geth had been using for cover, batting them aside as if they were leaves in a hurricane, crushing geth along with them, and scattering the geth's defensive formation.

With a snarl of anger, Liara turned, more energy forming in her hand as she squeezed her hand closed. Even as she did that, just behind the disorganized geth a chest sized ball formed, dark energy crackling around it.

The power she controlled condensed itself into a miniature singularity, it's event horizon catching several geth platforms, yanking them into the air to orbit the mass, even as it slowly began to rip the machines apart on a molecular level.

Unfinished, Liara gathered yet another packet of energy, this one swirling around her hand as she reached back and flung the warp forward as if she were throwing a ball. The energy curved in an arc, twisting its trajectory to impact into the singularity that she had continued to maintain.

The resulting impact was explosive. As the two mass fields impacted the energies released magnified by a factor of ten. Geth and created both crushed like tin cans and were cast across the chamber, smashing against walls in crushed ruins.

The shock wave surged toward Liara and Garrus as well, but it crashed against Liara's power like a wave dashing itself against a rock, washing over and around them.

As the wave passed, Garrus shook his head. "Well, thanks. Now what am I going to do," he quipped. "Clean my gun?"

"Well," Liara turned to him with a small smile. "You could always take a nap."

Garrus opened his mouth to speak, as he did, he saw more geth unfolding themselves from the undamaged crates. "Well," he sighed. "I should learn to keep my mouth shut…"

* * *

Wrex, Citadel, Council Chambers

As he landed, Wrex tossed Ashley to one side, sending her rolling behind another stack of crates, and his shotgun roared twice, blowing geth to pieces. Lashing out with his left hand he shattered another geth's optic lens and nearly knocking the head unit clear off the platform's body.

"Come on!" Wrex roared. "Give me a fight!" Bringing up his right foot, the slammed it back down, biotic energy exploding in burst away from him in a shock wave, scattering geth like pins. "I've fought sick salarians that had more bite to them!"

"Wrex!" the krogan heard Ashley yell a warning, but it was too late, as an impact caught him in the back, staggering him forward. As he began to turn another heavy shot hit him in the side, then again in the chest as he was pushed back.

Before him was a massive red geth unit, and unlike how the others had a single optic light in their curved head units, this one had three. It also held a massive rifle, which it swung around, firing another mass slug into Wrex's chest, pushing the krogan back another step as his shields flickered.

"Yes!" Wrex exclaimed, his face splitting into a huge toothy grin. He could feel the where the rounds from the geth's weapon had struck him each one seemed to have bruised him deeply, and if the orange blood he spit up was any indication, a couple ribs might even be broken and stabbing into a lung. "Now this, is going to be a good fight!"

Leaning forward, Wrex charged the machine only to be stopped short as the geth swung it's rifle up, catching Wrex in the chin and shattering teeth and spraying blood into the air. Then, before Wrex could react, the geth brought it's rifle back down, cracking on Wrex's head plate, this time, staggering him forward.

For a moment, Wrex's world went black, but only for a moment. Then, then it turned red. Wrex's arm shot out catching himself before he hit the ground. The with a surge, Wrex brought his feet underneath of himself and propelled himself upward, into the geth's abdomen, lifting it up, and knocking it back.

Still holding onto the geth Wrex reared back his head and slammed his headplate into the rifle that it held in front of itself, like a shield. Once, twice, then on the third strike, the weapon shattered, leaving the large geth clutching two smashed and ruined halves of it's massive weapon.

Then, shoving the geth back, Wrex swung his shotgun up, double charging it, and shoving the barrel into a rent in the stomach armor and firing upward into its vitals, and blowing a hole out the back side of it's body.

The geth, however, wasn't finished yet, as it brought both it's arms down on Wrex's back, denting the krogans armor. With a growl, Wrex fired again, and the geth swung down again, this time slamming it's forearms into Wrex's shoulders, deforming the armor and knocking the shotgun free, sending it clattering to the floor, where the geth brough it's metal heel down on it, crushing the weapon, rendering it useless.

Stepping forward now, the geth's right arms swung up, catching Wrex in the stomach, lifting the krogan and sending him through the air, only to crash through the crates Ashley had been hiding behind.

"Wrex!" she called out, as she picked herself up and moving to his side. "Can you move? We have to fall back!"

A growl erupted from his chest as Wrex's eyes popped open and speared her. "Like hell," he rumbled standing awkwardly, as he looked to his opponent. The geth also seemed to be wobbling on its feet, unable to take more than a few short steps at a time.

Wrex turned back to Ashley and snatched the long barreled sniper rifle from her grasp. "Gimmie that," he said, even as he spat a mouthful of orange blood on the floor. "I'm not running away from some overgrown toaster."

Then, with a roar, Wrex hefted the sniper rifle by the barrel. His blue biotic barrier wrapped around him, as Wrex became a blur of dark energy as he charged forward, crashing into the geth until. As the krogan Battlemaster impacted, a crater formed underneath the two opponents as the shockwave rippled out, collapsing more of the geth's front armor.

But Wrex wasn't done. Rearing back like, he swung the rifle like a club, smashing into the geth, a blue surge of power sparking on the impact. Again, and again, Wrex swung his bioticly charged weapon into the geth, knocking it off it's feet, but Wrex didn't seem to care. Stepping onto the geth's chest, Wrex reached back, up over his shoulder and swung downward with all his weight behind his bioticly enhance weapon.

The impact echoed through the chamber as the geth's head was ripped violently from its body and sent spinning through the air even as the rifle shattered in Wrex's grip.

Wrex turned, his chest heaving, and stomped back to Ashley, passing her the remaining barrel of her rifle. "I'll buy you a new one," he said simply.

Ashley blinked a couple times at what remained of her gun, before taking it back. "Krogan have toaster?" was all she was able to say.

Looking down at her, Wrex reached up to wipe the trail of blood that was running from his nose. "We aren't savages, Ashley."

* * *

Garrus, Citadel, Council Chamber

As the geth unfolded, Garrus was already in motion. Grabbing the back of Liara's armor, he half carried and half drug the asari behind the cover of a pair of crates Liara hadn't managed to destroy.

"Well...That's exciting," Garrus said flatly, looking at Liara. "Don't suppose you want to go all super asari badass on these guys too?"

Liara let out a little laugh and shook her head. "I'd love to. But I need some time to recover. I may have overdone it a little." Then, wincing, she looked down at where her had pressed into her abdomen. "Besides, I have need to bleed a bit," she laughed again, then winced against the pain. "No more jokes I think."

Garrus scoffed and shook his head. "Right, then your are on the wrong team, Liara. I am pretty sure sarcasm is one of Shepard's requirements before he allows somebody on the Normandy." He paused for a moment and looked at the ceiling to think for a moment. "Well, except for Pressley. He has a bigger stick up his ass than the turian Councillor."

"Heh," Liara started to laugh then cried out in pain. "Garrus you're an ass, and if I had it in me, I'd throw you to the geth."

"Uh...you're worse than Shepard," Garrus grumbled as her shifted to a kneeling position. "Go shoot this guy, now shoot that guy, Garrus, let's go stop the galaxy from having all sentient life wiped from it…"

With a quick exhale, Garrus popped his head over the crate and swung his rifle around. Not even bothering to sight down the scope, he fired two quick shots in rapid succession, his rounds ripping through the center mass of the geth's chest area, and destroying the geth platform's power core was housed.

A quick shift to the right, and he fired two more shots, dropping two more geth, but the line of geth continued to advance, firing on Garrus's position, forcing him back down with a curse.

"How's that?" Garrus asked Liara as his rifle began to vent it's built up heat. "Impressed?"

With a rueful shake of her head, Liara pointed back over the crates. "Still more coming."

"Slave driver," Garrus muttered. Looking back at his sniper rifle, Garrus realized he had pushed it a little too hard, and the heat sink was damaged. "Figures," he sighed tossing the weapon away and drawing his assault rifle.

"Alright," he said glancing at Liara. "You might want to look away. My dazzling show of military might has a chance of stunning you and making you fall desperately in love with me."

"Garrus," Liara purred.

"Yeah?"

"I could kill you, and tell the other that the geth got you. Nobody would doubt me."

"No respect," Garrus said, with a shake of his head. Then throwing himself into a quick sideways roll, he came out from behind the cover, his Avenger rifle throwing rounds into the geth. What assault rifle lacked in precision, it made up for in sheer volume of fire.

The first two geth dropped quickly, their bodies riddled with holes. The rest of the geth units turned to face the new threat, but Garrus was already up and moving quickly around them as he brought his rifle around and sprayed rounds into another pair of geth, throwing their bodies onto the small pile that formed at the machine's line.

Just as Garrus rounded the last two geth, he brought up his rifle to bring them down in one last burst of fire. Except he couldn't. That was the moment his gun's heat sink burst venting the built up heat.

Garrus stopped and looked down at the useless rifle then back up to the geth as they brought up their own rifles to cut him down. Except they couldn't.

At the last moment, a wave of blue energy crashed into the remaining geth and lifted them into the air for a moment before slamming them back down into the floor with metal warping force.

Letting out a breath that he hadn't even realized he had been holding, Garrus stepped up the the twitching bodies of the last geth. Pulling his pistol he put two round in each of the platforms, nodding in satisfaction as they went limp.

"It's okay, Liara," Garrus called over to where she stood, leaning against the crates, breathing heavily. "I got the last two for you!"

* * *

Tali, Citadel, Council Chambers

Watching the others move off to their own battles, Tali looked nervously between them and Shepard. She wasn't sure why he had given her the most important part, and it honestly frightened her. _What if I can't do it? What if I fall? What if I can't access the terminal fast enough...what if...what if...what if…_

"Shepard, I'm not sure if I can…" Tali stopped herself as she looked at him. Shepard stood with his eyes closed. He was breathing in a slow rhythm and seemed to be saying something in a smooth language she didn't recognize.

Tali was about to say something when the sounds of battle on either side of them erupted, distracting her for a moment. Then, when she turned back, she saw that Shepard was staring ahead, a fierce light in his eyes.

"Tali," Shepard said, as he looked over at her. "I need you to stay with me."

For a moment Tali's world stopped. She gazed into Shepard's eyes with a feverish heat rising in her face. Unconsciously, she took a step closer to him as she raised her hand, almost touching him. "I...of course...Shepard...I will always be with you…."

Shepard reached out taking her hand in his as he smiled. "I know you will Tali. We don't have much further to go," Shepard nodded as he released her hand and pulled his rifle up. "I'll cut the path. There shouldn't be many geth with Saren directly, so together, we should be able to cut through them."

Tali blinked as her vision shifted back into focus, as she realized what he had meant. "Er..yes!" she nodded vigorously. "Yes, between us, geth are nothing….but...Shepard. What about Saren?" Secretly she cursed herself for being unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

His face turned serious as he looked up the stairs where Saren waited for them. "You leave him to me, Tali. I will keep him occupied while you get that program going. We _have_ to open the Citadel's arms before it's too late."

"Yes," Tali agreed with a nod. Her hands tightened nervously around her shotgun even as she brought up her omnitool's attack programs. "I'm ready…." _Please Ancestors, if you can hear me, please don't take him away from me…_

* * *

John, Citadel, Council Chambers

As one together, John and Tali stormed up the last stairs, cresting to the main Council platform. Six geth stood between them and Saren Arterius, where he stood, calmly inputting commands into the main control unit.

Behind him, Tali thrust her left arm out, a spark of electricity flashing as the first of the geth exploded in a shower of sparks, it's torsoless body dropping to the floor. "Keelah, this omnitool is a bit stronger than I expected…" John heard her mutter.

With a smirk, turned to the second geth, this one a strange blue color, it held what looked like a knight's shield from earth's history, except this one was made of energy. Lifting his rifle he fired, holding down the trigger as the shield shifted colors from its blue, to an orange, yellow then finally collapsed just as his rifle overheated.

Casting aside the spent gun, his hand reached back and grabbed the shotgun from his lower back, triggering its extension as he swung it forward. But before he was able to bring it into play, Tali's shotgun roared next to him, ripping the geth's chest plate open, then again, pulverising the innards.

As John shoved the body aside, he was already firing four rounds into the third geth, knocking it back into the fourth, tumbling them to the ground. As John kept moving, he stepped up on top of the two downed geth and fired the last two rounds from his shotgun into the fourth's head.

John's arm snapped forward as he threw his shotgun into the fifth geth, throwing it's aim off and away from himself and Tali. He drew back his left arm, activating his omnitool, a glowing orange blade extended from his wrist as he slammed it up into the geth's torso. It was followed by his right, also sporting a blades then stabbed deep into the geth as he lifted it off its feet before ripping his hands violently apart, shearing the machine's body in half, and throwing the halves aside.

Before John could turn again, the last geth fired into his unprotected side, breaking his shields and stumbling him back. John gritted his teeth as he felt his armor give way under the onslaught, allowing a couple of the bullets to rip into him.

But then, Tali stepped in front of him. Her shields flashed as it absorbed rounds intended for John, before she swung her gun down on the geth's head. The blow didn't damage the machine so much as disrupt its attacks long enough for her to grab its chest with her omnitool covered hand. He saw a quick spark again as the geth's chest exploded in a shower of sparks.

Tali stood for a moment, breathing heavily, her shotgun in one hand and the body of a geth in the other. Turning to look at John, she dropped the geth and stepped forward, her hand out to him. "John, are you alright?" she was asking, her voice filled with concern.

Then she was gone. It happened almost faster than his eye could follow. Saren moved behind the quarian back handing her out of his way, his fist wreathed in a biotic field.

"Tali!" John yelled as he saw her body bounced across the ground with bone jarring force before sliting into the very console they had been trying to get to. As she fell onto her back, John could see the cracks in Tali's visor.

"Well, Shepard," Saren said, almost friendly, as he reached down and lifted John by the throat, his feet off the floor. "I was beginning to believe you wouldn't make it."


	40. CH40 Battle of the Citadel

Hannah Shepard

Dropping out of the relay, the SSV Kilimanjaro arrived mid center of the 5th Fleet. Glancing out the viewport confirmed what her tactical display already told her. Alliance Cruisers and Frigates shifted around her Dreadnaught, moving into protective positions around the massive ship.

Turning her seat back toward the main crew pit, Captain Hannah Shepard looked at her crew with pride. They were a seasoned bunch, having cut their teeth in the Skyllian Blitz by and large. They dealt blows to the Batarian 'Pirate' fleets that dared to step one foot on Alliance territory. And now they moved with the cool, smooth efficiency of veterans.

But Hannah knew what was coming. Her son had warned her. Ha had sent her statistic and information gathered in his hunt for Saren. The Geth ships were strong and powerful and would be not pushovers, the way the unorganized Batarian ships had been. And she knew about Sovereign. They stood next to no chance against it. But her son had called her. So she came. And she brought the full fury of the 5th Fleet with her

"Terrance," She called out, over the din of the command deck.

"Ma'am!" she heard the reply, but didn't look up from her board.

"I want you to link me in with Captain Shepard on the Perugia, as well as Admiral Hackett. He is on his command ship, the Benjamin Davis." She didn't bother to wait for the confirmation before shifting her focus again. "Fighter command, prepare to launch fighters on my mark...and...MARK."

"Fighters away," came the fighter deck commander. And Hannah could see the tight formation of ships pulling away from the Kilimanjaro, taking their places in the defense lines. She watched on her screens as the Benjamin Davis release it own massive waves of fighters.

The she heard the command she had been waiting for.

"All ships, this is Admiral Hackett. Break into battle group and move to relieve pressure in the Destiny Ascension. The council is aboard."

A feral grin spread across Hannah's face. Those that knew her children knew exactly where their own looks came from. But they would never match the Red Wolf. Hannah stood from her seat and stalked to the tactical holotank, her eyes moving over the battle taking place.

Keying her Fleet comm, "The is Captain Shepard of the Kilimanjaro. Battle group Wolf Pack, Form up on me and come around to station 376.82, charge all batteries and move full burn. Hold fire until we see the whites of their eyes boys. They first man to fire before my mark gets to clean my personal latrine. And I guarantee you that is NOT a job you want!"

Over the din of 'Rodgers' and 'Confirmed' Hannah received a lot of chuckles, and laughs. It was good to break some of the tension before the full engagement. "Okay boys and girls. Let's go be Big Damn Heroes!"

* * *

Jane

Jane Shepard stood still at her own ship's tactical holotank. Her eyes darted across the boards and the two datapads she held in each hand. Nobody else in the Alliance could take in all that information, process it and turn it into tactical command the way Jane could.

"Ma'am," an ensign called from the communications pit. "We have linked comms with the Kilimanjaro and the Benjamin Davis.

Jane nodded slightly. "Acknowledged." She glanced up a saw the heavy ships releasing their fighters. She had seen John's data on the enemy and knew not to take them lightly. "Tell the Seoul and Cairo to pull pack to quardenats 465.18 and come about 3 degrees."

"Yes ma'am!"

It was going to start…. Now.

"All ships, this is Admiral Hackett. Break into battle group and move to relieve pressure in the Destiny Ascension. The council is aboard."

At the news, the feral grin the Shepard's were famous for came to Jane's lips. Calculations and combat loads, ship commands and personalities and personal tactics of the Fifth Fleet ran through her head, this knowledge collided with the information she knew about to the enemy as plans formed into her mind.

"Alright ladies. Bring the Perugia up from of the Benjamin Davis, to provide fire support. We're on vanguard duty," She announced to the crew. She chuckled at the groans and moans around her. Her crew wanted blood. "I know, I know. But trust me. We will be pulled into the scrum. Don't you worry your pretty little heads!"

Admiral Steven Hackett

Watching out the window as the Benjamin Davis released it's swarms of fighter and fighter bombers, he couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation. This battle was going to be bloody, but it would cement the Alliance as a major player in the galaxy.

"Sir." An ensign approached with a data pad. "We have connected to the Kilimanjaro and the Perugia."

Taking the pad, he glanced over it. Both Shepards in command of their ships. This was going to go poorly for the Geth, he thought wryly. "Very good. Tell me when the cover group has us screened."

"Aye sir," the ensign saluted, moving back to his station.

Hackett saw the light on his board turn green, as he keyed his ship wide comm. "All ships, this is Admiral Hackett. Break into battle group and move to relieve pressure in the Destiny Ascension. The council is aboard."

"Okay boys and girls. Let's go be Big Damn Heroes!" He heard from the Captain of the Kilimanjaro. The normally unflappable Admiral chuckled dryly.

Turning he got down to his own business. "Tactical. Coordinate with the Perugia. I want her plans given priority unless they contradict my commands. And then run them by me. The woman is a genius and I will be damned if we waste our best shot at coming out of this as intact as possible."

"Aye Sir!"

* * *

Joker

"Normandy, this is Delta Wing Red," came over Joker's comms.

"I read you Delta leader," Joker's finger never paused as they danced of his interfaces. Shifting power here, moving on panel, altering burn angle there, then moving panels back. "How's it going Paulson, still sore I beat your record on Star Blasters?"

A laugh came over the Delta Wing channel. "Ha, hardly that Joker. I mean, you helped get this fabulous fight. I was just worried you, in that big Frigate, wouldn't be able to keep up, so I thought we would give you an escort. Ya know. Hold your hand a bit."

"Oh ho!" Joker scoffed. "The day I need cover from your slow ass, is the day I do a jig." Joker pulled more power from his drive core and angled the thrusters. "Just try to keep up Paulson!"

The Normandy spun on it's axis, pulling the top of the ship around opposite where it had been. Joker looked up through his canopy, watching the Alliance ships begin to engage the Geth ships.

Then he waited, not looking at his boards, just trusting in his own eyes on the battle. It wasn't until he had almost passed over the battle that he gave the command. "Follow me in Delta Wing."

The Normandy banked hard around, her nose turning back down to the battle, almost behind the Geth fleet, at an angle shifting back towards the Alliance ships. "Okay ladies, we are cutting through the cluster of Frigates trading punches with the Wolf Pack, as they move in. On my mark, fire at will. And 3...2...1...MARK1"

Thumps from the Normandy's main gun opened up, at the same time she let loose a volley of Javelin torpedoes.

Joker grinned as he watch three Geth ships blow apart under the barrage. He saw two more break up under Delta Wings fire, and a third had its Kinetic barriers drop, making it easy picking for the fire power of the Wolf Pack.

* * *

Hannah Shepard

"Have the Cairo come around to 451 mark 39," Hannah was in her element. She was in command of one of the Alliance's most powerful warships on top of the most highly trained and disciplined battle group.

She came by the nickname 'Red Wolf' for a reason other than just her red hair. She forged her group into a true pack. She ran drill after drill until each ship moved together almost as a dance. She provided bonuses for her gunners when they hit marks on accuracy test, sometimes out of her own pocket. She pulled strings, bought and sold favors, and at times, outright stole the equipment her battle group needed to be the best. And they were the best. And the Geth, with all their technology and gestalt coordination, fell before her group's teeth.

"Hold fire of starboard bow, let that cruiser fall in more. Hold it….Hold it…" Hannah was watching the screen a frown on her face as she watched the Geth cruiser pull itself into position, assuming the drop fire from the dreadnaught was damage.

Then Hannah grinned. A sly, wide grin. When her crew say it, they would get a shiver down their spine. They knew some poor foe had put themselves right where she wanted them.

"Cape Town, Burn two seconds and come about. Lock on the Geth's aft and fire a volley." Hannah commanded. She was pleased as the Alliance cruiser had begun to spin before she had finished her first sentence.

As the Cape Town's guns fire a full volley in the aft of the Gerh cruiser, they could see the Geth's shields flicker and shatter. It's armor blunted most of the damage from the rear, but that was something Hannah had expected. It seemed the data her son had brought home was accurate. As she knew it would be.

"You did good Johnny," she said quietly to herself, before her feral grin split her face again. "Fire crew, I want one shot of the main gun. Split her right between the eyes and you get a shot from my private stash!"

"Aye, aye Ma'am!" she could here the cheer from her fire crew. They were the best in fleet. And now they proved it.

The dreadnoughts massive main gun spun up, the charge to it's Mass Accelerator building before firing it's twenty kilogram slug at 1.3 percent light speed. It slammed into the front of the Geth cruiser's armor, nearly dead center. It blew through the enemy ship as if was tissue paper, literally bisecting the ship. As the two haves started to drift apart, they were wracked with internal explosions, shattering what was left of the hull.

Hannah, barked a short laugh before keying the ship comm. "Perfect shot fire crew. You boys earned your drink!" a warm smile was on her face as the crew cheered. A single crew member of the fire crew protested, "What about me?!"

Laughing, Hannah hit the comm again. "Fine, you did good too Beth."

"Damn straight!"

Hannah clasped her hands behind her back as she watched her fire crews pound apert Geth ship after Geth ship. He command was unorthodox. Some said it was too loose, and that she gave the crew too much leeway. She even allowed them to talk back to her at times. But they were professionals. They were the best. And they got it DONE.

* * *

Jane

"I want the Agincourt and the Hastings to pull around to coordinates 917 mark 331 mark 24" Jane shot rapid rife directions to the fleet. "I want them to blow a hole through that line and let the fighters through to hit that Geth Dreadnought with as many Javelins as they carry. Then have the fighters pull back to the Benjamin Davis for a rearm."

"Yes, ma'am!" Her command crew, while maybe not as tight as her mother's ship, they were still an efficient team, among the best.

"Normandy and Delta Wing Red have cut through the rear of the Geth formation around the Destiny Ascension. There is a breach." somebody called from behind Jane.

"Damn them for not listening to Jay Jay," she said. Because of them she had to command people to die.

"Get me the Kilimanjaro," she ordered, leaning over the holotank, her knuckles whitening as she gripped it.

"The is Kilimanjaro, Perugia. What's the word," Jane heard her mother's voice. Jane shook her head at the tone. Her mother was _enjoying_ this. She was always proud of her people and now Jane had to send them into the jaws of the enemy.

"Kilimanjaro, the Normandy has punched a small hole on the Geth pressing the Destiny Ascension. They have the Council on board. I need your group rip the hole open and let the Ascension get clear."

There was a slight pause before her mother replied. "Nothing shall touch them," was the reply. Jane shivered and the tone of finality she heard in her mother's voice.

"Good hunting," Jane said. She turned back to the battle as a whole. She knew her mother would do what needed to be done. "Battle group Angler. When the Wolf Pack break out the Ascension clears the Geth line, close around it."

"Aye, What about the Wolf Pack, won't they be cut off as well."

"Do your job Angler."

"...Aye, aye, ma'am."

* * *

Destiny Ascension

"Matriarch Lidanya!" a crew man yelled of the command room.

"What is it officer?" Lidanya pushed through the chaos of the damage control teams, working to put out multiple fires.

"It's the Alliance ma'am, it looks like the Normandy broke a hole in the Geth line at 1232 mark 8. And now an Alliance dreadnought battle group is pushing through. They are taking heavy losses, but are breaking the Geth line!"

"Do we have a clear path, officer?" Lidanya asked. She shook her head inwardly. She knew what the humans were doing. They knew the council was aboard and were sacrificing their own people to get them out.

"We do, ma'am!"

"Take it. Full burn. Everything we have."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Lidanya felt the ship lurch as it burned hard through the hole the Alliance had shot in the Geth. She turned to the damage control. "Get those inertial dampeners full up, we can't afford to lose them now!"

Turning back to the tactical officer. "Status."

"Yes, ma'am. We are clear of the Geth and another Alliance battle group is closing in behind us! They are cutting off that dreadnaught group!"

Lidanya's face fell for a moment, before becoming hard. She leaned over and keyed her ships intercom. "All hands. This is Matriarch Lidanya. Commander Shepard called in his own people to save our asses. An Alliance battle group threw itself into the teeth of the Geth for us to get the council clear. They are now cut off from the fleets. Watch them. Do not look away. THAT is how heros die!" She keyed off the comm. As she looked around her command deck she saw the solemn faces of her crew. "Burn for the Alliance command ship and bring us around. Damage control. You WILL get our guns back online before we come about. We are not letting this go without getting our hands dirty."

"YES MA'AM" The crew shouted as one.

* * *

Hannah Shepard

"Captain! The Ascension is clear, Angler group is closing around them. We are cut off ma'am!"

Hannah looked up the the holotank. The stress she was under was not showing. The iron facade stood firm. "Yes Lieutenant. I am aware. We are buying the council with our blood."

"Captain, we just lost the Cairo and the Cape Town!"

Closing her eyes for a moment, Hannah turned back to the holotank. Her eyes scanned over the battle. They were nearly through the Geth line, But they were being cut apart from all sides.

Then she saw the massive dreadnaught her son had warned them about. It's massive purple form crouched over the Citadel Council Tower. It's cephalopod like arms seemed to be grasping it. Whenever its red beam would destroy every ship that it touched. In a single shot, Hannah watched two Turian cruisers flash and explode.

"We aren't going down alone." He voice was iron and granite. She combed the ragged remnants of her battle group and open broad band communications to the whole of the combined fleets.. "All ships. The is Captain Shepard. My son , the first human Spectre called us here to save the galaxy. My daughter, the youngest Captain in Alliance Navy history is commanding this battle. And you," she let her pride resound in her voice. "You are my children of war! Before us stands the Geth command ship. It's Shields and Armor are impenetrable. It's Gun, devastating. It is said that it is but one of many ships that drove the Protheans to extinction. Now it wants to bring more of it's kind." Hannah paused. She felt the rage build in her. "By the Goddess, the Spirits and the Ancestors, they have never felt our wrath! If our chest be a cannon, we shall fire our hearts upon it."

Hannah heard a ragged cheer from the disparate fleets in the battle as she turned to her crew. "You are the greatest crew in space. Let's show them how we wage war."

* * *

Destiny Ascension

Matriarch Linanya stood. Her back was ramrod straight, her hands clasped firmly behind her back. "All hands. Fire at will."

Joker

Banking hard to port, the Normandy danced around the red beam from Sovereign. Delta Wing had long since been picked off, one by one. He brought the frigates nose up under a damaged Geth ship. He felt the fire crews send several mass slugs into it's belly, filling its interior with explosions as it broke apart.

"Normandy. This is Captain Shepard on the cruiser Perugia," Joker recognozed the Commander's sister's voice.

"Yes, ma'am. Might I say, your mother knows how to say a speech! I see where you and the Commander get it from," Joker quiped.

"You better believe it Joker," Jane shot back. "Listen carefully, Jeff, I need you to…"

* * *

Jane

"...need you to form up behind me," Jane looked up at her damage reports. "I want you to follow me in, stay so close to my ass that you singe your beard, you understand?"

There was a short pause, and Jane smirked slightly. "Um..yes...Ma'am. Might I just say you have quite a fine ass it is."

"That's my Joker," Jane laughed, as she watched the Normandy swing in tight behind her.

Tagging her comm, "Shepard to engineering. I need a damage report!"

"Aye, This is engineer Donnelly, power systems. Chief Engineer Consualla is down Ma'am. Me and Gabby are about all ya got right now. The rest are all doin' damage control," the scottish accent brought a smile to Jane's lips.

"Good, you two are the ones I need anyway. I need you to give me as much power to the shields as you can. On my command I will need all power, and I mean every scrap you can get, and throw it into the forward guns, Can you do that Donnelly?"

"Uh, yes Mum," Donnelly replied, Jane could hear the worry in his voice.

Jane switched projects mid stream. "Engineer Daniels, can you hear me?"

"Yes ma'am!" shot back the Daniels.

Jane nodded to herself, "Good. I assume you heard what I need from Donnelly. I need you to push the engines as hard as you can. Fly them apart if you have to."

"Aye aye ma'am!"

Jane then keyed her broad comm. "Viper wing, Delta Blue, Delta Green, bring your fighters around the Perugia! All hands! Fire at will, we are cutting a firing lane!"

* * *

Joker

"What the shit?" Joker looked at Pressly where he sat in the co pilot seat.

Shaking his head Pressly shrugged. "We do what she says."

Joker watched as the three fighter squadrons closed around the Perugia, engaging any and all Geth fighter that came near. They slowly blew apart or were forced off in dogfights, but the Peruja plowed on, every gun on it blazing. Joker shook his head as he watched Geth ships picked apart, damaged, or in one instance actively rammed aside. Joker could not believe when he saw the shields shimmer but didn't break on that one.

As they cleared the Geth line Joker saw the Perugia's gun focus fire for two full volleys, the lights on the ship flickered with each salvo, before cutting completely. The engines of the cruiser gave one last spurt, banking away from the Normandy.

"That's all we got Normandy, your turn." Jane said over the radio, as joker burned forward.

"Thanks for the dance Jane. Looking forward to a drink when we finish this," Joker smirked as Pressley shook his head.

"It's a date, Jeff," Joker could hear the smile in her voice.

"I don't believe you have asked my permission to take my daughter on a date, Mr. Moreau, "came the crisp voice of the elder Shepard.

"Oh, uh, sorry, ma'am," Joker blanched as her brought the Normandy around a shattered Turian frigate.

"Watch yourself Joker. If you want to have that date, you had better impress me here."

* * *

Destiny Ascension

Matriarch Linanya nodded to her Gunnery Officer, "Sync our shots with the Alliance dreadnought Kilimanjaro. Full power to guns." Her eyes narrowed as she bared her teeth. "I want to see that ship burn."

* * *

Hannah Shepard

She gripped the edge of the holotank to keep herself steady as the fire suppression system set off a jet, drowning out one of the many fires on the bridge. "Status?" she yelled over the din of the command deck.

"The Destiny Ascension has linked firing solutions, Ma'am. Our guns are spinning up now. Power is rerouting for a full salvo!" came the reply. Hannah didn't recognize the voice, but right now it didn't matter.

"Prepare to fire on my command!" She yelled back.

"It's a date, Jeff," Hannah heard over the fleet comm.

Smirking the Captain triggered her own comm, "I don't believe you have asked my permission to take my daughter on a date, Mr. Moreau." She put her best "Scary mother' voice out, even if her heart wasn't into it.

"Oh, uh, sorry ma'am," Joker replied, sounding more worried about facing her than in the battle they were currently fighting.

"Watch yourself Joker. If you want that date, you had better impress me here," Hannah cut the comms and looked straight ahead through the front viewport.

She saw the giant alien ships shield flare under the Perugia's assault. They flared and died and the cruiser's second volley impacted on armor.

Hannah narrowed her eyes. There was no way they brought down its shields. John must have done something. But, it didn't matter. The shields were down.

She sent a silent prayer for her son, _Goddess watch over and protect my boy…_

Stepping up the the forward viewport, Hannah clapped her hands behind her back and spoke in a flat voice. "All guns. Fire"

* * *

Joker

The Normandy swung around another shot from the Reaper as he saw the shields die. Then the rounds from two heavy dreadnoughts hit the armor hard, cracking the shell.

Joker swung the Normandy around in an arc as her saw the giant ship begin to fall away from the Citadel's main tower. "Hard on my flank, we are going' in!" he called as the nimble ship spun and began it's combat dive.

The Normandy's guns opened up, firing nonstop, the barrels beginning to glow and warp from the heat. Two full salvos of Javelin torpedoes, the last shots they had, broke staight through the body of the Reaper, as explosion erupted inside it body. It's shell began to break apart and the ship gave a final groan and exploded. Chunks of its superstructure crashed into the Citadel as if the Reaper gave one final strike as it died.

Arching back and away, Joker held his breath as he saw the Citadel Tower shake under the impact as chunks of Sovereign's armor smashed into it.

* * *

Hannah Shepard

Turning away from the forward port, Hannah walked back to the command deck and sat in her chair. She frowned a bit as it wobbled under her. She gave an irritated sigh as she leaned back.

"Get those fires out!" She commanded. "Pull around and cover the Perugia. Mop up any Geth remaining."

She toyed her finger over the comm switch a moment before tapping down on it.

"Very well, Mr. Moreau. You may take my daughter one ONE date."

* * *

Jane

Jane Shepard pressed her hand impotently against the viewport in front of her as she bit her lip. "Jay Jay, she whispered under her breath, as she saw the Citadel Tower take hits from the dreadnought's superstructure.

"Very well, Mr. Moreau. You may take my daughter one ONE date," Jane heard her mother's reluctant voice over the comms, bringing a small laugh out of her.

Wiping tears she didn't realize she had shed, Jane turned back to her crew, her steel facade back up. "I want a damage report yesterday. All engineering not on damage control, I want priority to be getting our shields and engines up. In that order!"

Joker

"Very well, Mr. Moreau. You may take my daughter one ONE date."

Joker laughed, as he brought the Normandy to station under the beat up Alliance dreadnought.

"Why, thank you, Mrs. Shepard. And I will have her back by eleven," Joker taunted.

"That had better be ten, Mister."


	41. CH41 Finale

Author's Note: I glossed over the skeleton fight. While it was fine in a video game, it was redundant in a story, and upset the flow.

* * *

John, Council Chamber

"Missed...you too...big...guy…" John managed to choke out. The turian Spectre's mandibles pulled flat against his face, and John had been around Garrus long enough to realize that he had made Saren angry. And judging by the increased pressure on John's neck... _very_ angry.

"Ever the jester," Saren's expression went awry as he chuckled, a dark laugh. "I have to say, you are tenacious. You had severely damaged my plans, multiple times. I respect that. I really do."

"Yeah, well then," John gasped. "How about we exchange extranet addresses and we can meet for lunch sometime."

"Ha!" Saren barked a laugh, and turning, threw John across the upper landing, to impact against the metal rail with enough force to dent it. "I am glad you made it in time for the Reapers arrival. I was worried you would miss it."

John glanced at Tail's still form, relieved to see her chest rising and falling slightly. Then Saren's word registered in his mind. "Saren," John said as he painfully pulled himself to his feet. "You're repeating yourself."

Saren's brow plates shifted down in a scowl. "No, I am not. Do not attempt to trick me. It will not work."

"Now you aren't using contractions," John told the turian. "It isn't really Saren I'm talking to anymore, is it?"

"You are certainly tenacious, I'll give you that," Saren shook his head slightly. "I can respect that. In fact, you almost had me convinced on Virmire, where you severely damaged my plans."

John's eyebrows raised in shock. _He is so far gone...is there anything of him even left in there?_

As John pulled himself to his feet, Saren walked slowly over. "Tell me human, do you even understand what is happening? Organic minds cannot even begin to understand the need for the Harvest."

"Oh, really?" John smirked as he leaned back against the damaged railing. He just hoped Saren couldn't tell that he was bluffing, as pain radiated down his side. _Broke at least one rib. I'm probably just a giant bruise at this point,_ he groaned inwardly.

To his somewhat surprised relief, Saren turned and began pacing, his hands behind his back. It reminded John of a caged beast.

"After our encounter on Virmire I realized I needed to be improved. I needed Sovereign to upgrade me…" Saren was shaking his head as he spoke now. "I thought about our...discussion...I thought about...indoctrination…"

Startled now, John pushed away from the railing, the carnifex Tali had given him, snapped up as he trained it on the former Spectre. "You let Sovereign implant you?!" John nearly yelled, incredulous. "Are you insane?"

With a jerk, Saren turned to face John, his mandibles flaring wildly. "I had doubts. They ate at me. Sovereign saw them, he implanted me to strengthen my resolve." The turian's voice was hard, but under it, John could hear the doubt.

Saren took a step toward John, a look in his eyes that hadn't been there before. It was almost pleading. "Now my doubts are...gone. I believe fully in Sovereign's cause! I understand why the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign can find a place for you too!"

"Dammit Saren! You _are_ indoctrinated! You are a slave!" John ground his teeth even as he held the hand cannon on the turian.

"Don't you understand!?" Saren rushed forward in the blink of an eye, catching John's right hand, where it held the pistol, and jerking it aside as he grabbed John by the throat and lifted.

"Then you die. We all die! Everyone you love, all your friends, every being you ever met. They _die_!" Saren snarled. "The Reapers are unstoppable! The protheans could not do it. You can't do it. Nobody can stop them…" Saren's voice quieted to nearly a whisper. "The cycle always...continues…"

"No," John pushed out, around the hand crushing his throat.. "Sovereign hasn't won yet! I can still stop him from taking control of the Citadel! Stand down, and the invasion won't happen!"

"We can't stop it!" Saren yelled, throwing John to the ground again, this time sending the man skidding toward the stairs. "Not forever! You saw what happened to the Protheans! The Beacons! They showed you, the Reapers are too powerful!"

Shaking the dizziness from his head, John looked up at Saren and slowly stood again. "Stop this Saren!" John almost pleaded. "There has to be some part of you that knows this is wrong! Some part of you that can fight this! You spent your _life_ protecting the people of the galaxy!"

"I..no..yes...maybe I can...ARRGGGHHH!" Saren cried out, his hand clutching his head. "The implants! They are too...strong...I'm sorry..I can't...It's too late...for me!" The turian ground his teeth, struggling to control his own mind.

"Saren! You can beat Sovereign! Let me help you!" Taking a step forward, John reached out. "We _can_ beat it together!"

Saren smiled, ruefully. "To think, a human would be the one to… Well, nevermind…." With a shake of his head, Saren raised John's carnifex to his own temple. "Thank you, Shepard." Then he pulled the trigger. His body falling back over the railing to land in the gardened section below the Council platform.

* * *

Tali, Council Chamber

With a quiet groan, Tali blinked for a moment before realizing that the pounding lights were the warning flashes on her helmet's display. Startled, she looked over the yellow and red section of her suit readouts.

Cracks in her visor, dangerous, but seal wasn't broken. A couple tears in her suit, troubling, but the interior clamps had closed down and sealed. Both fingers on her left hand were broken...that might be a problem…

"...We _can_ beat it! Together!" she heard Shepard's voice call out, gathering her attention. _Shepard! Have to help him!_

Rolling over, she pushed herself to her knees as she looked over, her thoughts wobbling slightly as she struggled to stand. _Cracked ribs…_ she thought to herself. _That's really going to be an issue later…._

"Thank you, Shepard," she heard Saren say, calmly as he raised the carnifex, the same one she had given to Shepard, to his head, and pulled the trigger.

Tali watched the turian's body tumble of the railing, disappearing from sight, as she sat there, stunned. _What had just happened?_ She thought incredulously.

"Tali!" Shepard yelled, as he rushed, yet limping over to her. "Tali, are you alright? Your visor is cracked! What do we…"

"Shepard!" she cut him off, raising her hand. Her broken fingered hand, she noted, as she saw the odd angle they were at. "My visor is just cracked lightly, the seal is fine, but help me up." Gingerly, Tali reached out with her right hand as he clasped it and helped her rise.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Shepard asked, the worry thick in his voice. "If something happened to you I don't know what I…"

"Really, Shepard?" Garrus asked incredulously, cutting off whatever Shepard was about to say. "Did you really just talk the bad guy into killing himself?"

Shepard looked into Tali's eyes for a moment longer before frowning slightly and turning to Garrus. "Get down there. I need you to make sure he's really dead. Sovereign put a lot of tech into him."

"Sure thing, Boss," Garrus shrugged and turned to head down to the garden level.

"Dibs!" Wrex yelled as he lept over the railing to drop below.

"Hey!" Garrus cried and rushed down to attempt to intercept the krogan. "He told me to do it!"

"Children…" Tali muttered under her breath, bringing a laugh out of Shepard.

"Yes, while our kids are playing, you input the code program and I'll get the Citadel's arms open," Shepard smiled at her. That smile she always…

 _No!_ She chided herself. _This is_ hardly _the time for the childishness you had just accused Garrus and Wrex of._ "Of course!" she said shortly, her voice seemingly going up and octave. _Stupid girl…_

* * *

John

Working the console, John glanced at Tali from the corner of his eyes. It was clear she wa more injured than she let on. The fingers on her left hand were bent at an angle that was clearly broken. _But she keeps right on going…_ he thought with admiration.

"Control restored," Tali said with a nod, as she worked furiously with her omnitool.

"Copy, opening station arms…" imputing the command, he could immediately see the giant closed wings of the Citadel beginning to open up.

"...The geth…" Tali gasped as the naval battle came into view.

John nodded. "And the Alliance. I had Joker alert Hackett's fleet. The Destiny Ascension is the main target. It has the Council on it."

Turning to John, Tali regarded him for a moment. "Won't that mean the Alliance fleet will take losses?"

"Yes," John whispered. "A lot of them."

* * *

Wrex, Council Chambers

"Dibs! Wrex yelled as he lept over the platforms railing, dropping to the garden level in a perfect, classic krogan airdrop.

"Hey! He told me to do it!" Garrus yelled as he ran down the stairs, leaping over the railing himself.

"Too slow, Vakarian," Wrex grumbled good naturedly, as he pulled out his pistol and fired two shots into Saren's head.

"You cheated, you overgrown varren!" Garrus grumbled as he pulled out his own pistol and fired another pair of shots into the deceased Spectre's head. "There! Now we _know_ he's dead."

Frowning down the the body, Wrex held up a hand. "Wait...something is…."

Unable to finish his thought, both he and Garrus were thrown back as a brilliant red light erupted from Saren's corpse.

Wrex watched, stunned briefly, as the body lifted into the air, the read light burning away the turian's flesh, exposing the nearly full cybernetic skeleton below. _Well, this is bad_ , he thought.

"Shepard! He's not…" Once more Wrex was cut off, this time Saren's body throwing a cracking red ball of energy up into the underside to the Council platform. _Someday, maybe you'll get to finish a sentence_ , he mentally grumbled as he stood, and charged his shot gun.

* * *

John

The platform John and Tali stood on exploded upward as some red energy blew it apart, and sent him tumbling to the garden level. "Son of a…" he began, until he saw what was left of Saren. No...that was…"Soveriegn…"

As the corpse began to collect another ball of red energy, a flash of blue struck the creature from the side, sending it crashing to the ground.

"Shepard!" Liara called out, as she leaned over the rail on what was left of the upper platform "Are you allright?"

"Been better," he grunted out as he pushed himself up, and activating his tech armor. "Tali alright?"

"I'm fine, Shepard," The quarian in question answer from beside him. "Don't worry, I broke your fall."

"Aw, shit!" John exclaimed as he pulled Tali up out of the rubble. "I didn't…"

Before he could finish, Tali threw herself bodily into him, as the place they had just stood exploded with another red blast, sending them both sliding down onto the dirt floor of the garden. The air was nearly knocked out of him as Tali landed atop him.

"All good," Tali said painfully, as she pulled herself up awkwardly, the task more difficult with her broken hand. "Landed on you this time."

"Pleasure to be of service...I think," John grumbled as he stood as well, turning to face the monster.

"Skipper!" Ashley called down from above, even as she fired down on the possessed body. "What the hell do we do?"

"Simple," John rolled his shoulders as he stooped to retrieve his carnifex from where it had landed at his feet. He gave it a quick look over. It was a little battered, the showroom polish had definitely been knocked off it. "We kick it's ass."

* * *

Tali

"You alive?" Wrex asked as he stood on his hands and knees looking at her. "I'd rather not have wasted this effort if you were already dead."

With a snort, Tali rolled onto her back and looked over at the krogan. "Wrex. You seem to have something on your back," Tali informed him, as she eyed the large plate of metal that rested on his back.

"Glad you're here to tell me these things," Wrex sighed before jerking his head towards the opening his body was creating. "Now get the hell out so I can stand up."

Nodding, Tali picked herself up, and with several sharp hisses of pain, and more than a few creative curses, pulled herself up onto rubble nearby. "You need help getting out?" she offered, turning back to look at Wrex.

"Ha!" Wrex scoffed. "With those little arms? I don't think so." Then, with a quiet growl, the krogan shifted his weight and slowly pushed himself up to a kneeling position. The metal and stone around him cracked and groaned as Wrex placed his hands on the plate and shoved upwards as he moved his body clear, before dropping the entire mess in a huge cloud of dust and debris.

"Found Wrex!" Garrus's dual toned voice called out from across the chamber.

"Thank the Goddess," Liara said, relieved as she stepped up onto the debris above Tali and Wrex. "Tali is with him!" she called back over her shoulder.

"Is Shepard with you guys?" Ashley asked, her head popping over the edge of the small pit.

"What?" Tali blurted, as her head snapped around. "N-no! It was just us! When Sovereign hit, we were knocked back! We have to find him!" With a desperate strength, Tali began to pull herself up out of the hole with her one uninjured arm.

"Wait, Tali, you're hurt, let me…" Liara said as she reached out with her biotics and picked the quarian up, and depositing her gently next to Ashley.

"Thanks," Tali said absently as she turned to look at the Council platform, before stopping in horror. "No…" she whispered as she felt the strength leave her legs, dropping her to her knees.

The glass-steel window that had stood behind the Council's platform had been shattered. Chunks of stone and steel, mixed with shards from Sovereign's armor lay scattered over the area. But in the center of the mass, laying across the very center of the platform itself, lay one of the Reaper's limbs, as if, in death, Sovereign refused to die without taking Shepard with it.

"NO!" Tali screamed, as she scrambled to her feet, trying to climb over the strewn pieces of rubble. "Ancestor's please, no!"

"Tali!" Garrus cried out to her as he grabbed her up in his arms, stopping her from her mad scramble. "Tali! Stop!"

"Please! Garrus! Let me go!" Tali could feel the tears rolling down her face as she kicked. "He...please he can't…he…"

Suddenly, there was a blue flash from under the Reaper's remains as chunks of the superstructure fell away revealing a figure in black armor. Slowly, the figure limped out of the dust, holding his right arm tightly to his chest, still clutching a battered carnifex pistol.

"Well….That was some shit," Shepard remarked dryly.


	42. CH42 The Last Flight

Author's Note: So, I noticed a lot of parallel thinking in my version of this bit and several others, but honestly, there is only so many ways to pull this chapter off and have it set up the threads I want to go forward, so I didn't want to go back and try to rewrite this.

* * *

Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, SSV Normandy, Cockpit

"I'm telling you there is something off," Joker grumbled as the Normandy dropped out of FTL. "Cleared to normal space. Board is green. Welcome to the sunny Amada system. Stealth is engaged."

"I know," Pressley, the navigator and XO, shook his head. "It's been six months of hunting pockets of Geth."

"Right...and the Council is ignoring the whole 'Giant Killer Spaceship' that literally, literally, stood on their house." Joker shook his head in disgust. "I hate those guys…"

"Sir!" Before Pressley could respond, Esign Terrance spoke out. "Unknown ship has come online. Configuration doesn't match anything on file, but the size is a heavy cruiser. It seems to have shifted course, angling on an intercept course!"

"What?" Pressley turned incredulous. "That's impossible! The stealth systems are engaged! Geth can't see through that!"

Joker ignored the XO and stared intently at the enemy signal. How could it see…. With a start, Joker's eyes shot wide. "They aren't geth!" he called as his hands jumped into action, turning the ship. "Brace for evasive maneuvers! Sound general quarters!" he yelled out as a great yellow beam shot from the enemy ship, and cut through the space right where they used to be.

Cursing, Joker brought the Normandy around, narrowly ducking the beam again as it cut through space. "I can't keep us-"

Joker's words were cut off as the beam swung back and ripped through the Normandy's shields and armor, the impact shuddering through the ship as it lurch sideways.

Pressley was reaching for the back of Joker's chair as a conduit next to him exploded, sending the older man crashing to the deck.

"Navigator!" Terrance yelled, as she began to climb out of her sensor station. But it exploded as well, throwing her broken body aside, where it crashed down, her eyes open, staring into nothing.

With a grimace, Joker fought the ship for control as she began to roll to port, exposing her side to the enemy fire. An invitation the enemy was happy to accept.

More explosions erupted from the CIC behind Joker as the Normandy listed harder. It took him a moment to realise the emergency field had deployed behind his station. The emergency omni helmet snapped over his face as well. Hull breach…. His mind raced almost as fast as his hands. Must be bad….

"All hands!" Shepard's voice called over the ship wide comm. "Abandon ship! I repeat! Abandon ship!"

"Fuck…." Joker said under his breath as he dialed up Engineering's direct line. "I need power! C'mon Tali!"

* * *

Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, SSV Normandy, Engineering

"I need power!" Joker yelled through what was left of the comm system. "C'mon Tali!"

"I'M WORKING ON IT YOU BOSH'TET!" Tali yelled back, her hands flashing over three consoles at once. It happened too fast. The initial shot had overloaded the Normandy's shields, sending a power shock back through the systems and directly into the heat sinks of the stealth system, and then into the core. A core, that, right now, was trying to melt down. "We lost too many people! Adams and I are the only ones left, and we can barely hold it together!"

"Just a bit more Tali!" Joker's voice was nearly begging. "I have to turn her starboard! If I can get four more degrees, the escape pods will be out of the enemy firing arc!"

Another terminal exploded behind Tali, sending sparks over her, burning holes in her realk. "I'm giving you all we have, the drive has already began its melt down, but I have it slowed to a crawl. At least until we take another hit. That gets you…." Tali was interrupted by Chief Engineer Adams slapping out the small flame that had caught on her. "Keelah! Uh..You have a thruster on starboard and one on port that is sparking intimately, everything else is out!"

"I got it!" Joker called back. "I have us rotating! You need to get to your pods! The enemy ship is coming about for another run!"

"Joker! What about Shepard!" Tali shook her head, even as she rerouted power through junctions not made for the loads, but were all she had. "And you!" Keelah...Shepard...Please get out! Please! Her mind begged.

"I have to keep the Normandy between them and the pods," Joker said, his voice calm, but grim. "I'll eject once I have the vector locked in. Shepard called the abandon ship, he's probably already in a pod."

"Then I'll stay too!" Tali grimaced to herself. She was quarian! Quarians didn't abandon their crew! "I'll keep giving you power as long as I-GAH!"

Tali was cut off as a massive scaled arm wrapped itself around her waist and lifted her bodily off the deck and tucked her up onto an armored waist. "Joker!" Wrex's voice bellowed as the massive krogan spun and charged back out the engineering door and down the hall toward the closest escape pod. "I have Tali and Adams! We are almost to the pod!"

"No! No!" Tali yelled and kicked. She twisted and clawed. If it weren't for the helmet, she might have bitten. "No! I can't leave! Shepard needs me! He needs me!"

With a twist of his body, he threw the quarian and the human engineers into the pod before following them in. "Who the hell do you think told me to get you two out?" Wrex snarled as his meaty fist slammed on the eject control.

The sudden burn away from the Normandy knocked Tali back down, even as she began to stand to rush the door. "No!" she screamed, finally staggering to the door, and slamming her gloved fists against it, again and again. "No! Please! Wrex! Help me! I have to help him!" She could barely see through the tears as she begged the krogan. "Anything! I'll do anything you want so please-"

Her voice cut off as she heard his voice through the comm.

* * *

Commander John Shepard, Council Spectre, SSV Normandy, Command Lockers

The ship rocked again as John pulled on his helmet, stumbling slightly. As his HUD came up, he nodded to himself as he saw his hardsuit seals locking in and go green.

"Shepard!" Liara's voice called from behind him.

"All hands!" John called as he brought up the ship wide comm. "Abandon ship! I repeat! Abandon ship!"

"Shepard!" Liara called again as she picked up and extinguisher and began to futily combat some of the flames. "Joker won't leave!" Liara called back at him. "I'm not leaving either!"

With a shake of his head, John reached out and pushed the extinguisher down, looking Liara in the eyes. "I need you to get the crew out, Liara. I'll take care of Joker."

The asari looked John in the eyes, pain and fear and anger warred in her. But she nodded after a moment. "All right…" the words had barely left her mouth before he nodded and pushed toward the stairway that lead to the Command Deck.

He wasn't worried. He knew Liara would get the surviving crew out. But...there was one person he had to be sure got off the ship.

"Wrex!" He called the krogan. He was on the cargo deck, close to engineering. He was the only one he could reply on down there. "Wrex, you there?"

* * *

Urdnot Wrex, SSV Normandy, Cargo Bay

The initial shock had awoken Wrex, even as he rolled and lept to his feet. He braced himself, grabbing the edge of a bulkhead, holding himself upright as cargo crates snapped loose of their tiedown straps and sliding over the deck, forcing him to slap a few aside with his biotics.

Another shudder rippled through the ship as the red emergency lighting came up. Then, with a lurch, the deck bucked again, and several loud cracks echoed through the deck as the Mako broke free of its mag locks.

Cursing, Wrex threw himself through the door that lead to the engineering section, even as he watched the tank slide towards him and slam into the wall he had been standing in front of. "Damn lucky, that time…" Wrex grumbled to himself as he pulled himself to his feet, despite the shaking. And it was lucky. He had seen the procurement guy...Wrex couldn't even remember the guy's name, but he had been pulped by the Mako, as it slid across the deck.

"Wrex!" Shepard's voice came over the comms. "Wrex you there?!"

"Shepard!" Wrex bellowed back. "I read you, what's going on?"

"Ship came out of nowhere, it's firing on us. It cut right through our shields like they weren't even there," Shepard growled. "But right now, I need you to get to engineering and make sure Tali gets out. I can't raise anybody but you right now. Please, Wrex. Just promise me you can get her out!"

Wrex paused for a moment. He knew what Shepard was saying. Shepard fully expected to die. "I promise Shepard. She will live."

"Thank you, my friend," Shepard said, quietly, with a calm that belied the battering of the ship. "Get to the pods."

With nothing else to say, Wrex cut the comm and turned toward the engineering's main doors. He hit the release twice, but the door didn't budge. No time for this he thought. Have to do it the hard way….

Grunting, Wrex's fist wrapped itself with a blue glow as he slammed it into the door with all his strength and weight behind it, all magnified by the biotic field.

It was more than the door could handle on the best of days. The door ripped open and Wrex powered through it, shoving the bits of metal aside.

"-Shepard called the abandon ship!" Wrex heard Joker's voice over the comms. Must be talking to Tali. "He's probably already in a pod!"

"Then I'll stay too!" Tali yelled, even as her fingers flew over multiple boards at once. "I'll keep giving you power as long as I-GAH!"

Wrex lunged forward and grabbed both her, and Engineer Adams, tucking them both under his arms as he turned and charged back through the door he had ripped open. "Joker!" Wrex yelled out to the comm. "I have Tali and Adams! We are almost to the pod!"

Tali struggled in his grasp. She kicked and clawed at him. Hell, he was pretty sure that if she could have, she would have bit him. "No! I can't leave! Shepard needs me! He needs me!" she begged, and Wrex could her the tears in her voice.

"Who the hell do you think told me to get you two out?" Wrex snarled as he threw his two charges into the escape pod before joining them and slamming the release.

Instinctively, he grabbed one of the bars overhead to hold himself up as the pod shot free of the ship, sending Tali tumbling back even as she had tried to stand. But after a moment, she pulled herself up and rushed forward, hitting the door with her hands as she begged him to let her help Shepard somehow.

But she cut off as a voice came through the comm.

* * *

John, Command Deck

As the door opened to the Command Deck level, John stopped, stunned. The entire CIC section stood exposed to space. Debris and bodies floated slowly through the area, in a sort of strange tableau, backdropped by the large pale ice planet below them.

The Normandy shuddered again as a blast struck home, yellow energy ripping through the superstructure and carving off another section of hull and armor. John could see the metal run like wax as the energy hit it.

Still staring out of the gaping hole above him, John activated the mag clamps on his boots and began a slow walk through the exposed section of the ship's deck. Seats, pieces of consoles, he brushed aside as he walked, the ship shaking as it's internals overloaded and detonated.

As he moved through the ship and up its neck, John pushed through the energy field holding atmosphere in the small cockpit section. "Joker!" he yelled. "Get the hell up! We have to get out of here!"

"No!" the pilot slapped John's hand away as he frantically worked his controls. "I'm not leaving! I can still save her!"

"Joker, she's gone. Going down with her won't change anything," John said calmly as he clung to a warped piece of bulkhead.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Joker's head dropped then nodded. "Alright. Help me up."

Moving quickly, John grabbed Joker's arm lifting the man from the pilot chair, eliciting a cry of pain. "Sorry, Joker. We don't have time…"

"I know, I know!" Joker growled as he limped quickly toward the forward escape pod. "Let's just-"

Whatever Joker was going to say as another blast cut through the ship, sawing it's way toward the men. Without thinking, John grabbed Joker with a blue corona of biotics and shoved the smaller man into the pod, even as he, himself, was knocked back by the shockwave.

Flailing out, John managed to grab a jagged piece of the ship, it's nearly molten edges burning even through his armored gauntlet.

"Commander!" Joker cried out to him, as he stood in the door of the pod, reaching out with one hand. As the energy beam slowly cut it's way between the men, burning it's way towards the pod itself.

"Sorry Joker," John smiled weakly in his helmet. "Tell her I'm sorry I didn't have enough time."

"Shepard! No!" Joker yelled as John's hand slammed down on the launch panel, sealing the pod and firing it free of the dying Normandy.

John's teeth clenched together so hard, he was surprised they didn't shatter, as he tried to pry his hand free of the metal he had grabbed ahold of, only to find, to his horror, that his hand had become fused to it when the metal flash cooled.

Not that it mattered for long, as the damaged core finally gave up, detonating with a white fury. Shards of the ship flew in every direction as it finally shattered in its last, violent, death throes.

As the Normandy went up, the shockwave sent John spinning free of the shattered wreck, the world and stars and the burning ship, all tumbled freely through his vision as he slowly spun away.

"Fuck!" he grunted to himself as the man shaped figure in his HUD began flashing red. Then he heard the cause. His armor had been breached in multiple places. His air was leaking out. He was being spaced. "No, no no no NO!" he yelled as he desperately tried to find the leaks, vainly he tried to plug them, even as he began to choke. "Da...mn it…" he gasped. "I wasn't...eady...I didn't get...to tell...love…"

And that is how the first human Spectre. The Hero of the Citadel. The Lion of Elysium. The Sole Survivor. The son of Hannah Shepard, the brother of Jane and Kelly. This is how a legend died.


End file.
